


The Making of Anne Lister

by witch0000



Series: The Vampire Diarist [1]
Category: Gentleman Jack (TV)
Genre: All kinds of sex, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anne Lister is a vampire goddess, Blood Drinking, Character Turned Into Vampire, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, Vampire Bites, Vampire Sex, thirsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:48:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 34
Words: 61,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24842542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witch0000/pseuds/witch0000
Summary: I know you’ve all been waiting for this one—it’s been a long time in the making. It’s Interview with the Vampire Anne Lister-style. Intrigue, supernatural forces, sex, lies, deception, sex, choices, heartbreak, sex, and of course, love. Plenty of artistic license to do as I please with the characters 😊 Sophie is French in my mind.
Relationships: Sophie Ferral/Anne Lister, Sophie Ferrall/Anne Lister (1791-1840)
Series: The Vampire Diarist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1797034
Comments: 249
Kudos: 122





	1. I remember the sunlight

She heard a knock on her door, signaling that sun had set and it was safe for her to exit. Awakening from her dreamless “sleep”, she sat upright and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Sleep” wasn’t precisely the correct term to describe that period of time between sunrise and sunset when she went into a sort of stasis, losing all ability to move, think or feel. She could still see and hear remarkably well, hence the need for a secure, private chamber to protect her from light, sound and of course, intruders.

She abhorred the common stereotypes about vampires and their dreary crypts, so rather than spending daylight hours days locked into a small, stuffy coffin, she had a special cabinet built that served as her sleeping chamber. It was quite large and built of exotic Peruvian walnut, dark chocolate in color and dense enough to block out all sound and light. She slept in a proper bed, just as she had before her killing, although this one was much more luxurious, and was hers alone. She never shared this space with anyone, and none but her most trusted servants were permitted to enter, and then only once each day to clean and prepare it for the next morning, and certainly not while she was present.

No matter how many years had passed since she transitioned to immortality, she still missed being able to be outside in the presence of the sun and walk freely in the daylight. She remembered vividly how sunlight would stream through the windows of Shibden Hall, warming the old, drafty home with light and heat. How Argus, her beloved Irish Wolfhound, would choose the warmest of sunspots on the floor in the morning room for his daily naps. And how she used to walk at all hours of the day through the beautiful English countryside of her native Halifax, her body glistening with sweat from exertion and the rising temperature. A long walk in the sun never failed to lift her spirits and allowed her the time to think her thoughts and dream her dreams. It had literally been hundreds of years since the last time she was able to feel the sun on her skin--so long ago that it might have been hard for her to recall those bygone days. But she had devised a clever means to help her remember feelings, thoughts, and events no matter how far back or how recently they had occurred--her journals.

Anne Lister, in life and in undeath, was a prolific diarist and recorded the details of her daily life, both the mundane and the profound. Her diaries were the one thing that hadn’t changed when she died—she was just as obsessed with recording everything in death as she was in life. 

Over the years, she had accumulated hundreds of volumes of her diaries—sometimes as many as five leather-bound volumes in a single year. She was careful and meticulous in her filing system, and she read and re-read her entries often enough that she was always able to retrieve the correct year and volume that had the exact entry she was looking for. There were some volumes that she read over and over again, pages becoming worn with constant handling over centuries. And there were some volumes that she had closed and never opened again once the book was completed and filed away. Some entries recalled memories that were both were sweet, and bitter, and a balm to her unique and often isolated existence. Others marked painful chapters in her history that she couldn’t bear to confront again, and yet couldn’t completely erase from her memory or destroy.

She exited the chamber and opened the door to her dressing room, where she found fresh hot water and towels, left by her long-time lady’s maid, Cordingly. She took time to wash, dry and then refresh her skin with lotion. She had been forewarned of the toll that eternal life would have on her body. Every evening without fail, she applied expensive and rare lotions and oils to her skin to keep it supple and allow her to look “alive”. She’d seen too many of her kind fail to take proper precautions for maintaining their physical body and slide effortlessly into the caricature of the pasty, translucent, sickly-looking vampire. But Anne Lister needed to look as normal as possible for many reasons. A normal appearance allowed her to be in the world among the living and do all of the things that she enjoyed without the need to hide, like taking long walks in the evening, attending musical performances, lectures and plays, and of course, mingling among society’s elite outcasts and artists. She blended in well with that disparate crowd, as uniqueness was expected, and the ordinary was disdained.

Her ablutions complete, she chose a long-sleeved blouse, crisp and white, paired with black trousers made of the finest wool. Her undergarments were made of soft, Egyptian cotton. She wore dark hose as was the style of the time, and shoes that buttoned up the side with a fastening hook. She dressed quickly and efficiently, leaving her hair for last. Tonight, she brushed her long dark hair it until it shone, and pulled it into a loose ponytail, tying it back with a black lace ribbon. She shied away from making up her face and simply put a bit of tinted lip cream on, and a very delicate shade of light brown above her eyes for a bit of color. Sometimes her make-up was more elaborate, but she had no plans for this evening. She would spend it writing in her journal, studying and perhaps playing the flute. She did need to hunt, but she would leave that to the small hours of the night, when the only souls walking about where those who were unlovable and would not be missed.

As she made her way to the breakfast room, she pulled a cord in the hall that rang a bell in the kitchen, alerting cook that she was ready for coffee and breakfast. It was unnecessary, as Anne’s routine was well known to the household staff. Entering the breakfast room, she was greeted by her cat, Sophocles, who rose from his slumber to rub himself against Anne’s legs. Bending down to pick him up, Anne held the sweet ball of fur close to her face for a few moments, enjoying the comfort of her four-footed companion. “All right, Sophocles, time for breakfast!” Anne said out loud. She’d lived alone for so long, she often talked to Sophocles and the other animals about the estate. Her solitary life allowed her the freedom to do as she pleased. She had given up worrying about what other people thought of her a century and a half ago, as her vampiric powers matured, and her self-confidence, which was never in short supply, had reached its peak. As she deposited her companion on the floor, Sophocles made his way across the room to where his food and water dishes were located. Feeding, and even housing a cat indoors, was considered eccentric, and Anne often delighted in shocking her guests with the way that she allowed her cat to roam freely about the house and get into all manner of mischief.

The table was set for one, and she sat at the head, while her footman, Thomas poured coffee and brought her usual breakfast of porridge, eggs, toast and sausage, along with a small stack of newspapers from around the world. As Anne had homes located across the globe, she subscribed to numerous publications so that she could always stay current with the local political climate. And most importantly, Anne kept a close eye on the crime logs that were a staple in every newspaper of the day. An increase in violent murders indicated that there were likely other vampires hunting in that location, and that Anne should perhaps consider a different destination for her next trip. She had lived a long life, and became a master of presenting a mysterious, well-traveled and glamorous persona while maintaining the strictest levels of privacy. She’d learned that from her Maker, Sophie Ferrall, a glamorous and cunning vampire who, in addition to being one of the most stunning women she’d ever met, had developed a code of sorts which she imparted to Anne over the course of the more than 100 years they had spent as lovers. A slight pang hit Anne where her heart used to beat. Feeling a bit nostalgic and missing Sophie, Anne finished her breakfast, rose from her chair and went to her study. It was a magnificent room, with a huge mahogany desk, with floor to ceiling bookshelves filled with Anne’s extensive collection. She walked over to where her diaries were shelved and took down the most often read volume of her diaries—the one where her life ended and her new immortal being was born—and sat down at her desk. As she read her diary entries for the time leading up to her transformation, she noticed how worn the pages had become. _I can likely recite this entire volume from memory,_ Anne thought. _Or perhaps, I could recreate these pages into the epic tale of love, loss, tragedy and redemption that my life has been. It will give me something purposeful to occupy myself with, and who knows what might become of it?_

Taking a loose sheet of paper, Anne reached for a new quill, uncapped a fresh bottle of ink, and started her story at the beginning—with Sophie Ferrall.


	2. Anne Lister Meets her Maker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne meets a mysterious, beautiful stranger.
> 
> BTW, there's a bit of French thrown in here and there--my family speaks "Franglais" so, it just started pouring out in the dialogue. I've included translations at the end of each chapter as necessary.

Sophie Ferrall, a vampire older than Anne by two centuries, was equal parts cunning, ruthless, clever, loving, and brutal. Sophie and her network of spies had stalked Anne Lister for weeks, following her to various shops, soirees, balls, lectures and even on her long, solitary evening walks through London’s streets. She learned everything possible about Anne’s habits, her relationships, her hobbies, preferred routes, and even some of her personal likes and dislikes. She bided her time, waiting for the right moment to inveigle herself into Anne’s life. One evening, the patient and cunning Sophie managed a fortuitous meeting with Anne at a ball thrown by Lord and Lady Hobart.

Anne had been pursuing a relationship with their daughter, Vere Hobart, for several months now, and Sophie had been a quiet observer to their unfolding drama. It seemed that Vere was everything Anne ever wanted in a wife—she was elegant, came from an aristocratic family, and moved easily in the circles to which Anne coveted. And until this very night, Anne had remained hopeful of winning Vere’s heart. But her hopes were dashed when Vere, looking pleased and blushing prettily, entered the ballroom on the arm of Captain Donald Cameron. Captain Cameron had made his intentions towards Vere clear, but Vere had cleverly dodged Anne’s questions about her feelings towards the Captain. While Vere dangled both suitors, she allowed Anne to shower her with affection, hold her hand, kiss her tenderly and speak words of love to her, all the while being careful not to say anything that would indicate that she returned Anne’s feelings for her. But that night when Anne saw Vere’s face, looking happy and triumphant, there could be no mistaking her intentions. Vere would never marry her and had only been toying with her affections. The moment that Anne realized what had just happened, and that her dreams had all gone up in smoke, she felt very light-headed overwhelmed.

In an instant, an ethereally beautiful woman with emerald colored eyes and impeccable taste in diamonds appeared at Anne’s elbow and whispered: "Viens avec moi, ma charmante fille. Je peux voir que la belle Vere vous a brisé le cœur et vous devez partir immédiatement afin que personne ne devine que vos sentiments pour elle sont plus que de simples amis.” 1

Doubting her ability to stay upright and keep her composure, Anne allowed herself to be led out of the ballroom by the mysterious Frenchwoman and into a blessedly empty room down the hall that was mostly likely Lord Hobart’s study. Sophie sat her in a chair and poured Anne a stiff brandy. She waited a few moments while Anne gulped down most of the brandy and finally gathered herself enough to look up at her rescuer. She met Sophie’s intense stare and was unable to tear her gaze away. This woman, whoever she was, was truly one of the most magnificent creatures she had ever seen, and her thoughts became muddled the more she looked into Sophie’s eyes. Leaning down so that Anne had no choice but to continue to hold her magnetic gaze, Sophie took her hands and said, “Please mademoiselle, stay right here for a few moments. I will collect our coats and order my coach. I will take you somewhere safe and private where no one will see you wearing your heart on your sleeve for a woman too shallow for your depth.” 

As the woman turned to leave the room, Anne stood up and grabbed her arm and said, “May I have the pleasure of knowing who my rescuer is? I don’t believe we’ve met, Madame…” “You may call me Sophie. And I already know who you are, Mademoiselle Anne Lister. Your reputation precedes you.” “But how do you know me? And where are we going?” Anne asked, and was stopped by Sophie’s finger softly touching her lips. “Shush, ma belle fille. I understand too well these matters of the heart, and I know how best to take care of you. Please trust me, Anne.” “Well, Sophie, if you can get me out of here before I collapse into a puddle of shame and do permanent damage to my reputation and that of Ms. Hobart, I shall be forever in your debt.” “Bien. Sit back down, drink your brandy, and I shall return directly,” Sophie promised as she swept out of the room and closed the door quietly behind her. 

Anne sat down and swallowed deeply from the glass, and poured herself another while she waited. It took every ounce of strength to hold herself together and not let the sharp pain in her chest break forth into wracking sobs that she feared would never end. Sipping her second drink slowly, she distracted herself from her broken heart by wondering about her rescuer. Sophie truly was stunning, with beautiful green eyes, expensive dress, perfectly coiffed, light brown hair, and extremely pleasant figure. She felt a slight shiver as she recalled the feeling of Sophie’s lips grazing her cheek as she whispered in her ear in the ballroom. She imagined Sophie’s lips on hers, hungrily tasting her, hands groping everywhere and having Vere walk in to find them in a compromising position. She liked to imagine that Vere would be outraged and jealous and would tear the beautiful Sophie away from her, but alas, she knew in her heart that Vere had never returned her love with sincerity. She had merely played along with Anne’s romantic attentions out of curiosity, boredom, and perhaps a bit of pity.

Anne wondered vaguely how Sophie has appeared at her side at the very moment her heart was shattered. Sophie returned at that moment saving Anne from more painful reveries and said, “Mademoiselle Lister--please—we must leave quickly if we are to get you out of here with your dignity intact.” Anne quickly drained her glass of the remaining brandy, and walked towards Sophie, who had managed to find Anne’s cloak and was holding it for her. “Here, let me help you with that, mon chere,” said Sophie as she draped Anne’s cloak over her shoulders and hooked the front brass closure. Without warning, Sophie pulled Anne in close and so that their eyes where no more than two inches apart. “I will take care of you ma chere fille—I promise you that. Your heart is too precious to waste on someone so unworthy of you.” And before releasing her, Sophie gently pulled her in still closer, and barely brushed Anne’s lips with her own, sealing her promise and leaving Anne wanting more.

**Translations** : 1 _"Come with me, my lovely girl. I can see that the beautiful Vere has broken your heart and you must leave immediately so no one guesses that your feelings for her are more than just friends."_

_2 _ _“Come. We are leaving right now”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the encouragement, kudos and comments. Keep 'em coming and buckle in :)


	3. The Carriage Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mysterious Sophie takes Anne on a carriage ride to an unknown destination. Anne finds a way to distract herself from heartbreak.

The coachman helped Ms. Ferrall into the carriage first, then Ms. Lister. Anne was taken aback by the extreme luxury of the interior of the carriage. The walls were adorned in rich fabrics and the seat cushions more comfortable than any conveyance she’d ever ridden in. Small candles encased in glass sconces provided soft lighting and protected the flames from igniting the compartment. All Anne wanted to do was curl up and cry herself to sleep, but the enticing woman across from her in the carriage was quickly squelching that urge and replacing it with another. As heartbroken as Anne was, she was desperate to lose herself in a distraction, and Sophie was certain to provide plenty of that.

The coachman closed the door and climbed up to his seat and the journey began. “I should ask you where we are going, but I really don’t care. I very nearly made a complete fool of myself in front of the entire party, and, but for your kindness and ingenuity, my reputation might have been ruined this night,” said Anne.

Sophie smiled and reached into a side pocket of the compartment, produced a flask and passed it over to her new friend. Grateful, Anne took a long pull from the flask and returned it to her host. Sophie took a drink, capped the flask and said, “that’s lovely really—and even more lovely to have my lips where yours have just been.”

Anne choked on her own saliva and blush furiously. It was hard to shock Anne, but Sophie managed to do so with very little effort. Anne suddenly felt very warm. She reached for her collar and tried to loosen it a bit, all the while trying to maintain her composure.

”Ma chère!’ said Sophie, ”je n’avais aucune idée que tu rougis si facilement ! Je ne devrais pas être si méchant, mais j’ai pensé qu’au lieu de parler de ton cœur brisé, tu préférerais une distraction.”3

 _And apparently, she reads minds as well_. “En fait, j’ai désespérément besoin d’une distraction, Sophie”, said Anne, rising to join her companion on the other side of the carriage.

“Your French is delightful Mademoiselle Lister. I have a habit of jumping between French and English, so it’s lovely if my companions can keep up with me,” Sophie said, taking Anne’s hand and placing it on her thigh.

Anne’s hand tingled as she felt Sophie’s soft thigh through at least one half of an inch of very expensive fabric. “I’m sure I’m up to the task,” Anne said as she traced her index finger up the length of Sophie’s thigh.

A sigh escaped Sophie’s lips as she closed her eyes, savoring the moment. “You know, Mademoiselle Lister, these are the precious moments that I treasure. The first small flirtations, the accidental and stolen touches, the sweet words, and the building of passion by two souls who are about to become lovers. Do you agree, ma chere?” she said placing her hand over Anne’s and bringing it up to the outside of her bodice. “You want to touch me now, Anne, don’t you? You are getting a bit desperate, but you don’t know where we are going and how long we have before we reach our destination?”

“It’s uncanny, but yes, that is exactly what is going through my mind, and I can’t believe I am admitting that to you,” Anne said a bit perplexed. “I’m not one to be so open about my, er...well, desires, but I can’t seem to help myself.”

“I seem to have that effect on women,” Sophie smiled knowingly and brushed Anne’s cheek with the back of her fingertips. “They tell me all the deepest desires and secrets, almost as though they cannot help themselves.”

“It seems I really can’t help myself,” Anne said as leaned in and captured Sophie’s lips in a slow, sensuous and memorable kiss.”

“Trust me ma chere. I want you just as desperately as you want me,” Sophie confessed. If you could run your hand underneath my dress and find your way to my “chatte”5, you would find a disturbing amount of wetness there in anticipation of your touch. We have just less than a quarter of an hour to go in our journey, and I promise you that you do not want to rush through the first time you and I make love. Il n’y a qu’une première fois, chere Anne.”6

“The first time—well that implies…” Anne said, silenced as Sophie leaned over and lightly ran her tongue along the outside of her ear. “Yes, my dear Mademoiselle Lister,” Sophie whispered as she kissed along the side of Anne’s neck. “It implies a lot. It implies more than you can ever imagine. I promise you that tonight will be the first of many pleasurable nights you will spend with me—I’m told I’m quite irresistible.”

“Quite, indeed, said Anne, gazing lustfully at Sophie’s bosom and depositing soft, wet kisses all over her décolletage. The women spent the remainder of the carriage ride engaging in more flirtatious banter, kissing, and touching whatever exposed flesh was easily accessed. There was a sort of familiarity between them that made the whole evening rather lovely and inevitable.

At long last, the carriage stopped, and Anne immediately got out of her seat and opened the door, hopping down to the ground. Extending her hand for Sophie, she helped the elegant woman down from the compartment. If the coachman seemed scandalized that his role had been usurped by his mistress’ guest, he was well schooled. Anne kept Sophie’s hand in hers as they walked towards the entrance of one of the grandest homes Anne had ever seen. She stifled the urge to ask Sophie a dozen questions about the manor house and instead simply followed her host inside. The footman greeted his mistress, and took her cloak, as she introduced her guest, Mademoiselle Lister. “A pleasure, mademoiselle. May I take your cloak?”

“Certainly, Monsieur…?”

“Jack, Mademoiselle. Je m’appelle Jack”

“Splendid—thank you Jack,” Anne said politely.

”Jack, pourriez-vous apporter une bouteille de mon champagne préféré à l’étage à ma chambre, avec un petit repas au cas où notre invité a faim,”5 Sophie asked.

”Oui Mademoiselle Sophie. Bien sur,” Jack said as he disappeared into another area of the house on his errands.

The entryway was spectacular, with its 40-foot ceiling, immense crystal chandelier, black floor and spotlessly white walls. “It’s not much, but it is home,” Sophie said with a shrug.

 _If this is “not much” I cannot imagine what she thinks “lavish” is._ “How long have you lived here?” Anne asked politely.

“Oh, ma chere, more years than I care to count,” Sophie said. “But you don’t really want to talk about my house, now do you Anne? There will be plenty of time for a tour tomorrow. It’s getting late and you have had quite a trying evening ma belle femme. I promised you that I’d take care of you and I mean to do that.”

While Anne tried to absorb the opulent setting and the immense wealth it implied, she heard a tone in Sophie’s voice that snapped her out of her reverie. “Lead on, dear lady. It really has been a ridiculously trying evening,” Anne said as they climbed the center staircase holding hands and proceeded to Sophie’s chamber.

**Footnote Translations:**

_3 “Oh my dear,” Sophie said, “I had no idea you blush so easily! I should not be so naughty, but I thought perhaps instead of talking about your broken heart, you’d prefer a distraction.”_

_4 “Actually, I'm in desperate need of a distraction, Sophie”_

_5 “pussy”_

_6 “There’s only one first time, dear Anne.”_

_7 “Jack, would you please bring a bottle of my favorite champagne upstairs to my bedroom, along with a small meal in case our guest is hungry.”_


	4. The Long Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will this be a brief affair, or something more meaningful?

Sophie’s private rooms were elegantly decorated, with rich colors and eye-catching objet d’art adorning the walls. The focal point of the room was a massive, four-poster mahogany bed--the largest Anne had ever seen—surrounded by a canopy of deep blue velvet. As fascinated as she was with these magnificent surroundings, her attention never strayed far from her lovely host. Sophie offered her a seat on the exceptionally comfortable sofa, while she sat at her dressing table and began to remove some of her larger, more cumbersome pieces of jewelry. As she fumbled with the clasp of her diamond necklace, Anne could not resist lending a helping hand.

“May I assist you, Mademoiselle?” she asked politely.

“That would be lovely, sweet Anne. I usually have my maid help me, but tonight I thought it best if it were just the two of us,” Sophie said meeting Anne’s gaze in the mirror.

Anne smirked as she dipped her head down to Sophie’s neck, depositing soft kisses and an occasional nibble, as she took her time unclasping the necklace.

A sharp knock on the door had Anne jumping back and standing up straight, while Sophie stifled a giggle. “Entrez Jack!”

The footman made quick work of laying out the tray of food and popping the bottle of champagne. “May I pour you both a glass, ladies?” he asked with just a hint of a smile. He had been with Mademoiselle Sophie for quite some time, and he greatly admired her powers of seduction, as well as her taste in women. And Miss Lister was indeed a catch.

“Yes Jack, merci. Then you may retire for the evening. I do not wish to be disturbed tonight.”

“Very good Mademoiselle Sophie,” said Jack as he handed both women a flute of champagne, bowed, and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Sophie rose from her chair and joined Anne on the sofa, sitting close enough so that their thighs were pressed against each other. “What are you thinking about my dear?” Sophie asked.

“Actually,” Anne said, taking a sip of the champagne, “I’m thinking that this all been a very fine adventure, save the crushing heartbreak. And nothing short of an epic adventure, and promises of salacious pleasures with an extraordinarily beautiful woman, could keep me from falling apart right now.”

Sophie heard both the bravado and the heartbreak in Anne’s words. For weeks, she had patiently waited for that perfect moment—the perfect opportunity—to sweep Anne off of her feet and woo her with her arsenal of beauty, money, intelligence, cunning—and book collection. And now that the moment was here, she found herself conflicted.

“I am glad that I am able to provide you with the appropriate level of mystery, intrigue, adventure, and perhaps soon, indulgence in some of our finer, if baser, instincts,” Sophie said. “But as lovely as you are, and as much as I want to be intimate with you, I must ask —is that what you want tonight? Your heart has been hurt, and I have a great deal of compassion for you. There is a part of me that wants nothing more than to make love to you all night long, until you can’t remember what you ever saw in that petite monstre, but please know there is no pressure. The most important thing is that you know that you and your heart are safe here with me.”

Anne was genuinely touched by Sophie’s kindness. In her experience, it was rare that someone put her needs before their own. Certainly, her other lovers hardly ever put any thought or consideration into what she might want or need. Most of her lovers were selfish beasts, and only wanted what pleasure she could bring to them, trusting that Anne would take care of her own needs without their assistance. And that was the pattern that she had fallen into. She was more comfortable being the aggressor, making a woman come undone with her practiced touch. Making herself vulnerable—telling someone that she needed them to touch her—to bring her pleasure—well, she’d only risked that a few times and it had been hardly worth it. The women she had been with couldn’t be bothered to learn how Anne’s body worked--what made her heart pound and the heat in her rise. It was just easier to wait a few moments after the deed was done when they invariably fell asleep, allowing Anne to quickly find her own release, without needing to depend on anyone.

Somehow, Sophie seemed different. She was certainly comfortable with herself and with her attraction to women. She had a deep understanding about love and heartache. She clearly enjoyed pleasures of the flesh and was no stranger to them—in fact, she was fairly comfortable with herself and her sexual desires. “ _What a strange creature,” Anne thought. “Perhaps that’s what happens when you have more money than God, are exquisitely beautiful and kind, and have a high enough station in life not to give a fig what anyone thinks!”_

“Anne? Did you hear what I asked?” What is it that you want, ma chere femme?”

“Yes, yes—I heard you,” Anne said thoughtfully. The possibility of a relationship with Sophie weighed on Anne’s conscious. The elegant Frenchwoman was not someone to be trifled with, and truthfully, that was the last thing she wanted to do. Anne wanted to know her, truly, on every level—not just physical. Anne’s greatest desire was to find a woman who could be her partner for life—like a wife. Although Anne knew she was not the only woman of her kind to prefer the fairer sex, she had found it difficult to find a long-term partner. Certainly, other women were intrigued with her charm and magnetism, so there were always opportunities for dalliances. But no one was brave enough to make a commitment. Society was so far away from accepting women of her kind, she couldn’t really blame any of them. She had hoped someone would have a bit of courage and be able to love her just as she was without trying to remake her into something society found more palatable. _What if Sophie is that woman I’ve been searching for? What if she could be more than a diversion?_

“Sophie, I will be honest with you, Anne said nervously. “I’m torn—I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you right now. I want to lose myself in making love with you all night long, and wake up with you in my arms. This has truly been a painful, odd, and magical evening, and I just don’t want it to end. It’s just that—I don’t want to be careless with my heart—or yours for that matter.”

“It doesn’t have to end, Anne, and there’s no need to be torn about anything,” Sophie said, looking directly into Anne’s eyes, causing Anne to forget whatever it was that she might have wanted to say next. “You can trust me. I promise, I won’t hurt you. A woman of your intelligence, wit, and courage is a rare gift indeed, and now that I’ve found you, I cannot wait to learn everything about you. As I said, these first encounters, kisses, touches, conversations…well, they are irreplaceable. I’ve looked for a very long time for a woman of your qualities, Sophie whispered, “And I’m quite certain that you are worth the wait, Madamoiselle Lister.”


	5. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne suggests a new game to play, and the tables are turned.

Anne was still torn as to whether she should ravage Sophie right now--fate be damned--or try a more conservative approach. Her thinking was still a bit blurred—perhaps from all the alcohol she had imbibed throughout the evening—and she was leaning heavily towards taking Sophie to bed. But was that the right decision?” _Now is a terrible time to be indecisive Anne—have some courage!_ she admonished herself.

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Anne that would provide her additional time to make her decision, and provide entertainment for her lovely host.

“You have been so very kind to me, Sophie. You truly rescued me from a dreadfully embarrassing episode, and I’d like to repay your kindness,” said Anne as she drained her glass of champagne.

“What is it that you had in mind, Mademoiselle Lister?” said Sophie, extending her glass to Anne for a refill.

“Well,” said Anne as she replenished their drinks, “I thought perhaps we could play a game I learned in Denmark.”

“A game? Oh I love games! What is this game and how do we play?” Sophie asked.

“The game is called Truth or Dare. One person starts by asking the other person if they would like to tell a “truth” or perform a “dare”. If you choose truth, you must answer the question I give you with complete honesty. If you choose dare, you must perform whatever daring task I give you. And then when you are done, you will ask me if I want to choose truth or dare, I will make my selection, and you will either ask me a question or give me a dare to perform. Would you like to give it a go?” Anne asked, trying her best to look innocent.

“Mais oui! You are my guest, so please go first,” Sophie said, enjoying the rest of her glass of champagne.

“All right then, Sophie—truth or dare?”

“Hmmm. Such a difficult choice. I choose truth!”

“Remember,” Anne admonished, “you must be completely truthful, otherwise you’ll spoil the fun.”

“Yes, yes—just ask the question, Anne” Sophie said, slightly impatient and refilling her glass.

“Mademoiselle Sophie, what is your deepest, darkest desire, that you’ve never shared with anyone?”

“That’s easy,” Sophie said with a wave of her hand. “My deepest, darkest desire is to have a penis.”

There was a moment of complete silence, and the look on Anne’s face was priceless, causing Sophie to erupt in a fit of laughter. “Miss Lister, have I shocked you? Do you not believe I could have such a wish? Surely, the thought has crossed your mind once or twice, n’est ce pas? How lovely it would be, to reach down and stroke my cock whenever I felt like it. To have the ability to piss while standing up, whenever I need to and wherever I want to. Oh, and the best part of all--having my cock sucked, while I’m lost in the pleasure of having my face buried between the legs of a beautiful, sexy woman.”

Anne’s mouth went dry, and she felt her nipples stand at attention. To cover her embarrassment, she swallowed the rest of her champagne and poured herself another glass. “Well, it seems you’ve got the hang of the game. You’ve answered the question truthfully, because surely no one would ever lie about such a private thing. Now it’s my turn. Ask me if I want the truth or a dare.”

“Oh, but I really wanted to hear if you have imagined having your own penis too,” Sophie said pouting prettily.

“That’s not how the game works, my dear. I asked the question, you answered it. I’m not obligated to answer any additional questions, unless it is your turn to ask me a question,” Anne explained logically, hoping that Sophie would move on to something else—anything else.

“I see how you are, Madamoiselle Lister. Fine. Let’s return to the game. Do you want to tell a truth or take a dare?”

Anne considered her options—if she chose truth, Sophie would simply ask her if she’d ever fantasized about having her own penis, and that was definitely NOT first date conversation material. “I’ll take a dare please, Mademoiselle.”

“Mon dieu, I was praying that you would choose a dare!” Sophie said triumphantly. “I dare you to let me make love to you right now.”

There was a long pause, which made Sophie nervous. Had she read this wrong? Was Anne not ready?

“Well, if it’s a choice of telling you whether I long to have my own penis, or making love to you all night long, I don’t think there is much of a choice,” Anne said smirking.

“Oh no, the penis question is off the table,” Sophie said firmly. “You explained the rules of the game, and you never said that the question is asked first and then you can choose whether to answer the question or take the dare. You must take the dare, otherwise I imagine the consequences would be dire, indeed.”

“You are a fast learner, Sophie, and you are correct. I have no choice but to accept your dare and make love to you until the sun rises.”

“Actually, the dare is for you to let _me_ make love to _you_. Right now,” Sophie clarified.

Anne looked uncomfortable, and drained her glass of champagne again. She had not anticipated this turn of events. Sophie had clearly gotten the best of her in this game, and now it was time to take her dare.


	6. It's Dare Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And it's game on as Sophie turns the tables on Anne.

“Enfin, Mademoiselle Lister! I will finally get to see the treasures you are hiding underneath all those layers of handsome clothing, and find out if what I’ve heard about you is true,” Sophie said as she sauntered over to the bed and began untying Anne’s cravat and unbuttoning her blouse. Anne stood rather woodenly, having no earthly idea how to handle a woman taking charge of her in the bedroom. “Relax, ma chere. It’s not as if I don’t know what I’m doing,” Sophie said. “Or is it that you don’t know what to do if you aren’t in charge?” Sophie said, kissing Anne’s shoulders as she slid her blouse off and let it fall to the floor.

“Perhaps it’s a bit of a new experience for me, but I can manage,” Anne said with a confidence that she didn’t quite feel.” Perhaps, if you would allow me, I could help you off with your clothing as well. I think it would be much more pleasant for you—and for me as well—if we aren’t encumbered with these bothersome layers of clothing.”

“Splendid idea Anne,” Sophie. “And as soon as I get you into the proper state of deshabiller, it can be my turn. She turned Anne around to unlace her corset and remove her stays, relieving Anne of another layer of armor. “These things are so ghastly—clearly a man invented this device of torture, although it does make my décolletage look particularly delicious.”

“You do look particularly delicious,” turning around and pulling Sophie’s body close, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss that went on for several long minutes. Anne deserted Sophie’s lips to travel down to her beautiful, impossibly white neck, kissing and nibbling her delightfully exposed flesh.

 _Oh mon dieu, she has no idea what fire she is playing with_ , Sophie thought, slightly alarmed. Sophie had amazing self-control in most instances, but her neck was incredibly sensitive, and too much neck foreplay could easily set off her blood lust.

“You know,” Sophie said coyly, lifting Anne’s chin up and looking into her eyes, “I think my neck has had enough attention for the time being. If you were to help remove my clothing, you might find some unexplored treasures that need to be discovered.

“Well, if you really think so,” Anne said pressed her lips against Sophie’s and kissed her hungrily, while reaching behind and unhooking her overskirt and unlacing and removing the elaborate and constricting corset. As soon as her corset was removed, Sophie wrapped her arms around Anne’s neck and laid her down on the bed, laying her body on top while pressing her thigh between Anne’s legs. “Mon dieu, mais tu es mouillése,”8 she remarked as she as she replaced her thigh with her hand and began combing her fingers through the thatch of coarse hair that lived just about Anne’s pleasure center. She dipped her head down and began kissing, licking and biting Anne’s shoulders, while her fingers explored the folds of skin that guarded the Anne’s secrets—secrets that Sophie was anxious to unlock.

Anne’s reticence melted away, as she was enthralled and rendered powerless under the skilled hands of someone who clearly knew how to pleasure a woman. In a rare moment of surrender, Anne chose to stop trying to assert her dominance, and instead chose to relax and receive the truly spectacular display of lovemaking that was focused solely on her.

Sophie knew women like Anne well enough to understand that receiving was not always easy or natural for them, which is precisely why she worded her ‘dare’ carefully. While one of her hands was focused on the center of Anne’s pleasure, Sophie brought her lips to Anne’s breasts, sucking and nipping at her nipples, offering Anne a temporary balm to soothe her ache.

“Harder, please,” Anne said, and Sophie complied immediately by sucking her nipples harder into her mouth, her tongue and lips working in unison to deliver the pleasure that Anne needed.

While she attentively pleasured Anne’s breasts, she slipped her middle finger inside Anne, and meeting no resistance, (and hearing a moan of appreciation), she added another. Sophie’s started a slow, sensual thrusting motion with her fingers curled up to reach the most sensitive part inside Anne’s queer, while the palm of her hand connected with Anne’s clit, sending Anne’s senses into overload. Never, never, had Anne ever experienced this much pleasure at one time, and her body was tensing, desperate for the release it chased. Sophie continued thrusting inside Anne, increasing the pace and adding pressure to her clit, and was rewarded with a gush of fluid coming from Anne’s queer. “Voila, ma fille, Laisse toi aller. Je te promets de te rattraper.”9 Sophie’s hypnotic voice, combined with her continued intense caresses between her legs, was enough to send Anne to the very height of her pleasure quickly. A few more minutes of Sophie’s intense lovemaking drove Anne to experience the most intense orgasm of her life, with legs trembling, heart pounding, and releasing a completely unrecognizable, guttural moan from her throat. Anne freefell into Sophie’s arms, who stayed inside Anne and held her until the last of the tremors had stopped, and Anne’s breath had slowed to a more normal pace.

“Would you like a taste, mon coeur?” Sophie said as she slid her fingers out of Anne’s queer and brought them up to her mouth. Anne licked Sophie’s fingers, enjoying every moment of this decadent feast.

Anne had, in the course of her scientific experiments, tasted the fluid that collected between her legs during masturbation and sex. And of course, when she shared a special ‘kiss’ with a woman, she got the opportunity to taste them as well. She found that her own taste was general very good, but there was a wide range of tastes depending on the woman. She planned more research on the subject of course, starting tonight. _I really must taste Sophie—I’m quite certain she’s magnificent in every way possible._

“You, ma chere femme, are more delightful and delicious than I had ever imagined—and I have a very active imagination,” Sophie said smiling, and stroking Anne’s handsome face.

“Really?” Anne asked. “You’ve thought about me before? But we’ve only just met tonight.”

“That’s true, but I have actually seen you before, here and there, at various lectures and parties,” Sophie said. “You cut a magnificent figure, and you must know that you stand out in any group. From the moment I first laid eyes on you, I felt desire for you. And every time I would catch a glimpse of you, that feeling intensified, and you began to inhabit my thoughts. So naturally, I thought of you sometimes when I was alone, and ah….how do you say… Je me suis touché dans des endroits privés, 10  I imagined how it would be to have you in my bed, and to feel your skin under my fingertips—to feel my lips against yours—to taste you--Madamoiselle, you’ve made one of my dreams come true tonight.”

“Just one?” Anne asked, playfully, as she rolled onto her side and propped herself up by her elbow facing Sophie.

“Oui. Just one. I told you I have a very active imagination,” Sophie said. “And now, ma chere femme, I believe it is my turn—in the game of course—to either answer truthfully, or take a dare from you.”

“Hmmmm is it? Are we still playing?” Anne said bringing her lips close to Sophie’s and hovering for a moment before capturing them in a deep kiss.

“Mmmmmmmmm, my darling, yes, we are still playing,” Sophie said, nibbling Anne’s ear and longing to sink her teeth into her neck. _Patience is a virtue, and I’m not a virtuous woman,_ Sophie thought. _I can smell her delicious blood through her skin and it’s calling to me like a Siren._ “Je suis très enchanté de ce jeu de vérité ou osez,11” Sophie said. “And I would like a dare, s’il vous plait.”

**Footnote Translations:**

8 “My god, but you’re wet.”

9”That’s it, my girl. Let yourself go—I promise I will catch you.”

10 “I touched myself in private places”

11 “I am very enchanted with this game of truth or dare.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is such a fun story--the transformation is approximately 2 chapters away, unless the girls need to have an extra sex scene thrown in for good measure. You never know. Thanks for your comments. I love hearing your thoughts, favorite lines....anything really!


	7. Anne Turns the Tables on Sophie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne's Dare Surprises and Arouses Sophie

“Of course you would, darling,” Anne said chuckling. “One good dare deserves another, my beautiful lady. Hmmm….but what shall your dare be? Oh, I know! I dare you to make me into one of your own kind.” Anne held Sophie’s gaze, and held her breath, waiting for an answer.

“It seems that you are already one of my kind, mon amour,” Sophie said, kissing Anne’s neck and playing with the fire that Anne had lit earlier. “I love women…you love women…we are the same, non?”

“Not that. That requires no transformation. I want to be like you—just like you. I want to stop caring what anyone thinks. I want to have more riches that I can spend. I want to travel the world, and see marvelous things,” Anne said excitedly. “And I’m willing to pay the price.”

“My darling, I do not think you know what it is that you are asking me for,” Sophie said carefully. _Does she understand what I am? Does she know of such things? She’s such a traveler and a scientist—perhaps she’s heard of the ‘buveur du sang’. 12_

Anne flipped Sophie over and pressed herself on top, her thigh slipping between the French woman’s legs. “Look who’s wet now, hmmm?” Anne said, grinding her thigh against her lover’s core.

As sexually aroused as Sophie was, her blood lust for Anne was off the charts. All of her carefully laid plans were starting to crumble, and her resolve weakened. What she had intended to be a long, slow, introduction to her ways, was quickly turning into a runaway train that she had no intention of stopping. _Truly, what is the worst thing that could happen? She will be angry with me. She will hate me. She will rebel against her new ‘true nature’. But this woman is adaptable and a survivor. And I really do prefer if my intended asks for the transformation—I detest forcing this ‘life’ on anyone. And she did say she would pay any price,_ Sophie rationalized.

“What about the dare, Madamoiselle?” Sophie asked coyly.

“Let’s pause that for a moment, because I fear if I don’t connect with you right now, I will explode, and I want this first time to be memorable for both of us,” Anne said. As her hands reached for Sophie’s breasts and she began massaging them, Sophie put her own hands over Anne’s to increase the pressure. “Anne, I’m not one of your vulnerable little virgins that you are deflowering. I want you to possess me with everything you have and please, mon Coeur, please do not be gentle,” said Sophie as she pressed her center up against Anne’s thigh, causing an embarrassing gush of wetness to pool between Anne’s legs.

“Did your fantasies include what you would like to receive from me?” Anne whispered into Sophie’s ear, still grinding her leg against her core.

“Oui. Bien sur,” Sophie said, breathing heavily. 

“Are you going to share that information with me?” Anne asked, slipping her hand between Sophie’s legs and lightly tugging at her very wet nest of curly hair.

“Non.”

“Really? Why on earth not?” Anne asked genuinely perplexed.

“Are you asking because you are feeling insecure about your own talents for giving a woman pleasure? Or perhaps you are asking because it excites you to have a woman tell you what she wants in great detail?” Sophie said, taking control of Anne’s middle and forefinger and sliding them into her ‘chatte’.

“The latter actually,” Anne said, rising to her knees for a better angle to fuck Sophie. “Would you like more fingers, Madamoiselle?”

“Mais oui—as many as you can fit, s’il vous plait,” Sophie said her back arching as she felt Anne add two more fingers.” “Oh yes, that’s lovely. I like that very much, Miss Lister.” Sophie pulled Anne in for a searing kiss, and when she finally released her, said “Remember, I’m not one of your virgins. You can take me as hard and as fast as you’ve ever wanted to take anyone—you can mark me with your teeth, you can pull my hair, you can pin my arms down—my body is yours to do with as you wish. So take me now, Anne. Take me to that place where nothing exists but passion and pleasure.”

Sophie’s words inflamed Anne and set her blood boiling. She sucked Sophie’s nipples hard, and then dropped her mouth to the particularly delicious looking underside of her breast, and bit down on the flesh hard and started sucking like her life depended on it. Anne loved leaving marks when she made love, but most women she slept with kept their relationship hidden in the shadows, so marks were never an option—unless of course she accidentally left one in an inconspicuous place. She tried to quell the fire within her by lavishing her attentions all over the body of this beloved creature that was moaning and writhing underneath her.

“You asked if I ever thought about having a penis,” Anne said suddenly, breaking Sophie out of her haze of pleasure.

“Oui, I did.”

“The answer is yes. Right now as a matter of fact. I would bury it inside of you, and thrust myself in and out of you, over and over and over until you collapsed from exhaustion and begged me to stop.”

“Tres charmante, ma belle fille, but since you have none, why don’t you try putting your whole hand inside of me for a special treat, hmmm?” Sophie said, locking eyes with Anne.

“But I’m not sure I can—my hands are quite large.”

“That’s part of your charm, my dear. Your hands are perfect—let me show you.” Sophie held up her right hand and pulled her thumb so that it was up against her pinky. “See here? This makes the widest part of the hand small enough to fit through my entrance. Once you are all the way inside, you will feel me open wider for you—wide enough for you to make a fist with your hand. You can simply rotate your fist inside, touching my walls all at once, which feels lovely. Or, you could fuck me—as hard as you dare--using the strength of your whole body to push.”

“Anything else I need to know,” Anne asked?

“Yes. It may get very wet and very loud in here.”

“Right,” Anne said as she coated her entire hand with Sophie’s juices, folded her hand as she had been instructed, and was amazed when she saw her entire hand disappear inside her lover. Anne’s face broke out into a grin, and she looked at Sophie with absolute delight shining in her eyes. _She is an absolute marvel!_

“Oui, c’est ca…oh mon dieu que se sent bien13,” Sophie said, her body melting into a dark pool of desire as she felt Anne’s hand curl into a fist inside her, turning slightly to the right then to the left, then back to the right again. Sophie was lost in her pleasure, unable to form words or even sounds. All of her energy was focused completely on what was happening inside her vagina, and it was delicious. Her instincts about Anne being a match for her were absolutely correct. _And I’ll make her mine tonight—after I come all over this bed—and her._

Sophie seemed to be enjoying what Anne was doing immensely, and didn’t seem to want to hurry her pleasure, so Anne had the luxury of watching Sophie in her most vulnerable, beautiful state, and really taking her time. With her fist buried inside Sophie, her other hand caressed her face and her breasts. She longed for fingernails so that she could rake them down her thighs, but alas, she kept them too short for that. _I’ll have to fix that at some point,_ Anne thought. All of a sudden, Sophie grabbed Anne’s arm, and said, “I want you to push your fist a bit against the very back of my womb, and then pull back a bit, then release, and keep doing that. I need to feel all of you before I can let go.”

Anne increased the pressure and the speed, and lowered her mouth to capture Sophie’s clit in her mouth, licking and sucking and swirling her tongue around. Sophie moaned deeply, and her breath came in deep gasps. “Je suis très proche, Anne. Quoi que vous fassiez, n'arrêtez pas ce que vous faites. Et pour l'amour de Dieu, ne retirez pas votre poing jusqu'à ce que je vous le dise. 14 ”

“Viens pour moi maintenant, ma belle Sophie que j'adore,15” Anne said, and she watched as Sophie came apart, underneath her, her breath completely stopping for what seemed like 30 seconds, while the walls of her vagina clasped desperately onto her fist. Sophie took in a deep breath of air, and a smile lit up her face. Anne stayed exactly where she was, afraid she might hurt Sophie if she were to try to move her hand now.

“Oh my, my, my—you are a magnificent lover. I had a feeling we would be like this together, from the moment I first saw you,” Sophie said, her eyes barely open. “But now, I will help you take your fist out of me, oui? I’m going to open back up and push you out—you must exit the way you came in, with your hand folded as small as possible.” With Sophie’s guidance, Anne was able to remove her hand, and was amazed at the amount of fluid that gushed out of Sophie.

“Are you quite content, my dear?” Anne asked as she brought her body up to lie next to Sophie draping her arm across her stomach.

“You already know the answer to that, ma chere,” Sophie replied, gently guiding Anne down to her lips. “Now, shall we return to our game that you paused?”

**Footnotes:**

12 ‘blood drinkers’

13 “Yes, that's it… oh my god that feels good” 

14 “I'm very close, Anne. Whatever you do, do not stop what you're doing. And for god's sake, do not remove your fist until I tell you to.”

15 “Come for me now, my beautiful Sophie, whom I adore.”


	8. Anne's transformation begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At Anne's request, Sophie gives her the gift of immortality

“Yes, absolutely. I was just giving you a moment to recover,” Anne said, slightly nervous about what was about to happen.

“Just so that we are clear, Anne, what is it exactly that you want me to make you into? I need to make sure that you have all the facts so that you can make an informed decision. You used our little game to try to force my hand, but what you’ve asked is far too serious to be played with,” Sophie explained. “So what is it that you think that I am?”

“I believe that you are a creature of the night, Madamoiselle—a blood drinker. I believe the scientific name is vampire,” Anne said matter-of-factly.

“I see. And what are you basing your beliefs on?” Sophie asked. “Most people would say that vampires do not exist.”

“I’ve met a vampire before, and I will never forget her,” Anne explained. “She was a rare beauty, and told me all about herself, her life, her loves, her losses, and most of all, her complete and utter joy at being able to continue to partake in the joys that life has to offer, more than two hundred years after her mortal body would have perished. She thought that my ‘esprit de corps’ would be an excellent fit for the transformation, and that I could spend eternity reading, writing, travelling, and finding a woman to share my life with.”

“You are telling me that you met a gorgeous female vampire, who revealed her innermost secrets and offered you the chance to have immortality, and you refused her?” Sophie said incredulously.

“Yes, I…wanted more time to thoroughly consider it, and by the time I had made up my mind to go ahead with it, she’d already packed up and moved on to another city in another country,” Anne explained. “I’ve always thought I would see her again, or someone like her, and when that day happened, I wouldn’t be shy—I would ask for the ‘gift’ of immortality.”

“You continue to surprise me, Miss Lister. Never, in my very long life has anyone asked me for the ‘gift’ on the very first day that we met. But again, how could you tell that I was also a vampire? I work very hard to keep my appearance as natural looking as possible, and I’m careful about my hunting habits. No one, other than a fellow blood drinker, has ever been able to tell that I was anything other than completely normal and mortal.”

“Ah, well you see, my friend Ann called my attention to a few key signs, Anne explained. “There was the way in which you were able to seduce me away from the party immediately, by having me look directly into your eyes. You were compelling me with more than just your feminine charms, although they are, admittedly, considerable. Also, the way that you behaved when I started kissing your neck—I could hear your heart pounding out of your chest, your lust for my blood was so strong.”

“Is that all, Miss Lister?”

“It was enough for me to make an educated guess, and you didn’t deny it, so I believe I’m right.”

“You are correct. I am a vampire, and I have been inhabiting the earth for hundreds of years. I’ve built an impressive and almost inexhaustible source of funds, I have homes all over the world, I move among the best circles, and I’m never without a lover, unless I choose to be alone. But,” Sophie said, “did your friend Ann tell you about all the challenges there are to being a vampire—the things that we must do to stay alive, or at least our version of it? These are terrible, violent things, and they will become second nature to you. You will lose a part of your humanity that you will never gain back. I don’t believe being a vampire is evil, for surely God created us as well as mortals, for God is the creator of all things, n’est ce pas?”

“Ann told me everything—we were close,” Anne said almost blushing. “She took me hunting with her. She explained her code for choosing her victims. She chose people who were evil—she could literally smell evil and she thought that she was doing it for the betterment of society. And if she couldn’t find someone evil, she found someone that no one would miss. And at times, when her conscience was too heavy, she took a break from hunting humans and instead turned to hunting animals and drank their blood. It was not as fulfilling as humans—no comparison, really, she told me--but sometimes she found it more appealing than having to kill someone every few days.”

“That is a remarkable tale, Anne. She must have loved you very much to have revealed herself to you like that,” Sophie said kindly, sensing Anne’s heart was still tender on the subject.

“She did. Not taking the gift when it was offered the first time was the biggest mistake of my life, and I’ll not make it again.”

“So if I give you the gift, what do you plan to do with it?” Sophie asked carefully. “Will you go on a quest to find your Ann?”

“No, I won’t be seeking Ann out, for a number of reasons. We did not part well. She fought her own inner demons about what she was—she loved being able to indulge in an immortal life, but she struggled with the terrible things she had to do to stay alive. She couldn’t always see how marvelous her gift was. Ann is behind me. I want to look forward,” Anne explained truthfully.

“So what will you do, then, after you become a vampire?” Sophie asked.

“Well, forgive me, but I thought—well I assumed--that you had already chosen me as someone who might make a good mate for you,” Anne said. “If I’ve missed the mark, I’m terribly sorry. But I got the feeling that it was inevitable that we would meet, and that we would become lovers—for a very long time. I can’t explain it, but when I saw you for the first time, I knew I would be with you. You fascinate me. And you’ve managed to teach me a new way to pleasure a woman on our very first night together, so we are off to a cracking good start, I’d say!”

At Anne’s heartfelt admission, Sophie smiled, and pulled her in for a kiss. “I knew you were a highly intelligent woman, but you have so much common sense as well! A rarity, to be certain. And no, you did not miss the mark with me. I have been without a partner for quite a few years, and I’m ready for companionship again. I’m not meant to live alone.”

“What happened to your last partner?” Anne asked tentatively.

“That is a story for another day. Let’s just say I’ve had my heart broken too, mon Coeur. So,” Sophie continued, “I must tell you a few things about being someone like me—just so that you can know everything before your final decision. You will never see the sunlight-- you **must never** see the sunlight again. You may not think of that as an important, but I assure you, it is. You will be living a life, but not alive. You will be immune to all illnesses, and you will require no food or drink, with the exception of blood. But, of course, if you choose to eat and drink, and most of us do, you will suffer no indigestion, you will neither gain, nor lose weight, and you will remain the age that you are today. I will show you my tricks for looking as human as possible, with various lotions and oils, and I’ll show you how to move about in society as you wish to, without your true nature being detected. You will rise when the sun sets, and lay down when it rises. Your inner clock will be disturbed for a time, but that will be temporary.”

“I’ve heard that the transformation can be painful—is it very awful?” Anne asked.

“It is awful, but the rewards are well worth it. It is like being born, only in reverse. Every cell in your body must mutate. All of your bodily processes must change. You will need my blood to sustain you for the first part of the transformation—less than a day, really—then I will take you hunting with me. You must be so desperately thirsty for blood that you will do anything to get it. At first, your victims will die, because you will drain them of all their blood with your desperate thirst. But in time, you will learn to moderate your desires. You’ll be able to take a smaller drink from a human and keep them alive. It’s very intimate to drink someone’s blood. You feel their desires, their pain, their pleasure—all within the space of a few moments. It’s probably why your Ann chose to drink from animals from time to time, because with her moral code of only drinking from evil humans, she took in a lot of darkness, night after night. That’s why I will teach you moderation. It is very satisfying to kill an evil person. But the feelings they will try to impart to you before they die can make you very dark and unhappy. And you are a child of God, regardless of what anyone says. We are not demons. We must drink blood and we must live forever. Whatever lies in between is of our own making.”

“And mon dieu, all this talking has me very thirsty,” Sophie said her eyes dark with lust, as she stared at Anne’s neck. “Do you have any questions, Anne, or are you ready to take this step?”

“I appreciate the full picture you’ve given me, and yes, I am ready,” Anne said confidently.

Without further delay, Sophie rolled on top of Anne and proceeded to overwhelm her senses and distract her body from the transformation process that was about to begin. She avoided her neck for the moment and showered her breasts with kisses, and an occasional bite, but without breaking the skin. She wanted Anne to associate the bite with passion. She did the same as she worked her way down past Anne’s stomach, hips, and the inside of her thighs, until Anne was practically begging Sophie to touch her. Sophie kept her on edge for a few more minutes, until Anne’s body was almost too aroused—she then plunged three fingers inside her lover as she simultaneously sank her fangs into Anne’s impossibly sexy and delicious neck. Sophie fucked Anne hard, while she drank thirstily from her neck. Then she began to see Anne’s life literally passing before her. She saw all of Anne’s losses—first her mother, then her brother, and finally her father. She saw Anne’s triumphs and accomplishments, she saw Anne writing reams and reams of words into her leather-bound journals. She saw Anne’s lusts and loves, and when the images of Vere Hobart and Ann—the other vampire--appeared, she felt Anne’s heartbreak and loss so intensely, she almost sobbed herself. _Oh my poor Anne! Such tortured love affairs!_ Sophie silently resolved to love Anne so well that she would heal her heart from all of the pain that it had endured.

Anne groaned in pain, feeling the agony of her life blood being drained from her. She resolved to have courage, and not panic, but she felt herself try to pry away from Sophie’s mouth, but her vampiric strength made it impossible for Anne to move at all. Sophie had stopped fucking Anne when the images of her life flashed in front of her, knowing that her death was mere minutes away. As she felt the last of Anne’s strength start to leave her, she drew Anne’s mouth up to her neck and said, “Now my love, bite me with every ounce of strength you still have left and drink my blood. You will feel much better very soon, my love.”

Anne’s strength was almost completely gone, but she heard Sophie’s voice calling to her, and she felt the beating of Sophie’s heart resonating in her ears and pounding through her own chest. With a final burst of energy, she lifted her head and pierced Sophie’s skin with her teeth and fastened her mouth to her neck, drinking her blood as though she were born to do it. Anne was aware of images of Sophie’s life passing through her consciousness, but she could hardly make sense of them, and the lust she felt for her blood overwhelmed all of her senses.

Sophie pried Anne away from her neck when she had drunk a sufficient quantity to sustain her, and watched as Anne fell into a deep state of stasis. Her body was transforming, and as she’d told Anne, it’s not a pleasant process.

She detached herself from Anne and got out of bed, washed the dried blood from the wound on her neck that had already healed, and put her nightgown on. Normally, she had a more private, heavily protected and locked chamber to sleep in, but today, she would stay with Anne here and nurse her through her transformation. She tucked Anne in under the covers. Anne’s skin had turned gray, and her lips were cracking from lack of moisture. Her body was shivering, but not with the cold. She grimaced in pain. She placed a delicate kiss on Anne’s forehead, and said, “I know you can hear me, ma chere Anne. I will take very good care of you, and you will feel better soon. I will stay right by your side the whole time.” Sophie drew the heavy drapes and enshrouded them in darkness, with only a candle to illuminate the space. She then climbed into bed, lay her body next to Anne’s and readied herself for what was going to be a tough 24 hours. _But it will be worth it._


	9. Anne Goes Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anne completes her transformation

Sophie stayed by Anne’s side, sometimes holding her to calm the shaking, and sometimes just lying next to her, so she could feel her presence. Sophie talked to her quietly throughout much of the ordeal, telling her stories about her long life and great loves, in an effort to deepen her connection with Anne. She knew that Anne would remember much of what she told her, and that even though she was terribly ill and in pain, she knew that her voice would soothe her. Her Maker had done the same for her, and she knew of no other way to help Anne through the transformation. All that remained was to wait until Anne’s eyes opened, with the blood lust pounding through her veins—then they would go hunting.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Sophie whispered, as she gently stroked Anne’s face. “I have waited so very long for someone like you. It’s been—it’s been terribly lonely these last years. I was so sad—so heartbroken after Sibella died. It was such an awful death. One that I very much hope I never witness again. I loved her more than I thought I could love anyone. We were a good match, and I was very happy while we were together. But alas, this life was too much for her to bear sometimes. She was hundreds of years older than I when we met, so she’d already endured more of this existence than I could even imagine. She was old enough that she had to experience a life led in the shadows, hiding in caves, coming out only at night to hunt, and having to fight off the vampire hunters with their silly garlic and useless crosses. I’m grateful that by the time I met her, life was kinder to her and she was able to experience the more refined life that vampires have enjoyed for the last three hundred years. But as she told me that awful morning, just before the sun came up, the pain of existence was just too much to bear. She loved me more than anything, and I loved her, but when she asked me to let her go, I did. She was in such pain and agony the last few years—it was a terrible thing to witness. And I don’t believe in keeping people hostage who don’t want to stay, so I had no choice. She kissed me once more, and walked out the front door of our home as the sun was just beginning to rise. I watched her body catch fire, and consume her, until there was nothing left of her but ash.”

Sophie told her other stories about her life, rocked her gently in her arms, held her hair back while she retched, over and over and over again, until there was nothing left. Anne had no moisture of any kind inside her, and the thirst was about to awaken the blood lust in her like she would never again feel it. Sophie disengaged from Anne, peeked out of the heavy drapes, and saw that the sun had set. She dressed herself for a night of hunting—dark clothing, so that any dirt or blood would not show as easily. She had dispatched Jack to purchase Anne some proper clothing, and as Sophie looked over his choices, she smiled. Thanks to Jack’s impeccable taste, Anne would be a very stylish vampire.

Sophie heard movement from the bed—she had left the drapes pulled so that Anne could continue to sleep as long as possible. She opened the drapes to see Anne—writhing in bed, trashing about, and growling like an animal. She walked up to the side of the bed, grabbed Anne roughly and compelled her to look in to her eyes. As her Maker, Sophie was the only vampire that would ever be able to compel her, and she was going to have to do just that if she were to calm Anne enough to get her dressed and outside so they could hunt.

Sophie needed no words, because with the linkage of their blood, she could now communicate telepathically with Anne. After a few long minutes of locking eyes with Anne, her body calmed a bit, and she allowed herself to be led out of bed. Sophie directed her to wash herself with water from the basin as best she could. She had a deathly gray pallor and her skin was translucent, showing her veins and capillaries beneath her skin. Until she fully transformed, she would certainly frighten people, as she looked like a monstrous creature, so it was important to disguise her as well as possible. 

Sophie helped Anne dress, and for this first excursion, she chose a men’s ensemble of trousers, shirt, cravat, vest and long jacket—and of course, a hat that would slouch down over her eyes, covering a bit of her face. Deciding she was presentable enough to take hunting, Sophie took her arm firmly and led her out of the room, down the stairs, and to the waiting carriage.

Anne sat in the carriage, next to Sophie, her breath labored and unable to focus on anything but the need for blood. “Soon, ma chere—you will feel better very soon,” Sophie said. The carriage took them outside the border of the town, but close enough so that there would be travelers moving about on the roads by foot, carriage and horse. They pulled up in a spot familiar to Sophie, and they disembarked from the carriage. Sophie dismissed the driver and sent the carriage back to the house.

“Where are we Sophie?” Anne asked in a dazed voice.

“We are somewhere that you can find someone to feed on. You must drink blood or you will continue to suffer, and the longer you wait, the worse the suffering will be. You are so thirsty, Anne—like there will never be enough to quench it. But it isn’t water that you crave—you crave only blood,” Sophie said in a hypnotic tone.

“Why can’t I have more of yours again?” Anne asked sounding a bit desperate.

“A very reasonable question, ma chere, but alas, that is not how it works. You must combine my blood, which you already ingested, with the blood of a human—your prey—in order for the transformation to be complete. Look, Anne! There’s a man walking towards us and he’s all alone, and he’s wobbling a bit—like he’s drunk. Take my arm, and walk with me,” Sophie instructed.

As they walked closer to their quarry, Anne could smell the most intoxicating aroma surrounding him, even though he was still quite a distance from them. She didn’t need Sophie to tell her what that smell was—it was blood, and the smell was making her head swoon. She tried to pull away from Sophie, but the more experienced vampire held on to her arm tightly.

“I know you want to run towards him right now and take him down so you can quench your thirst, but trust me, you are still very weak. You might not even make it to him on your own, and all you’ll do is startle him and he’ll run away. Right now, you are on a lovely stroll with your beautiful wife, enjoying the moonlight. He will think nothing of crossing paths, and he will not be frightened. We will continue to walk towards him, and as we pass him, you will turn and grab him from behind, and sink your teeth into his neck. We drink from the neck because it provides us the quickest access to the most blood. You will suck every ounce of blood out of his body, and you will feel peaceful, and calm, and your skin will become less translucent. Your stomach will settle and your head will stop pounding. You will feel more strength than you ever have in your life. You will be able to run so fast that a human won’t even know you’re coming towards them until you are on them. I will then show you how to dispose of the body so that he won’t be found anytime soon. Then, you will find one more person on your own, without my help, and repeat what you just learned. I will be nearby quenching my own thirst. Do you understand?”

“Yes. We will stroll past him, I will turn, take him down, drain him of his blood and get rid of the corpse—and then I’ll do it again on my own.”

“Such a quick study. Get ready—we’re within 20 feet of him,” Sophie cautioned. It was always nerve-wracking to hunt with someone for the first time, but she had no doubt that Anne would excel. Sophie’s heart beat faster the closer they got to the unsuspecting gentleman, and just as they passed him, Anne spun around, grabbed him from behind and plunged her newly minted fangs into his neck. She closed her eyes and drank deeply, savoring the taste and the smell. She could feel the blood healing her and filling her as she continued to suck the blood out of her victim. She felt vague feelings that she knew belonged to the man. It seemed he had a tragic life, and had lost is wife and child some years ago, and could not find happiness again. Although Anne didn’t feel a bit guilty for what she’d done---she was a vampire after all, and this is just what vampires do—she was pleased that her first victim was someone who likely welcomed a quick, and almost painless death. When all the blood was gone, Anne dropped his body to the ground unceremoniously, and looked for Sophie, who was standing just a few feet away from her.

“Well? How did I do?” Anne said, seeking approval from her Maker.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’d done this before, ma chere,” Sophie said smiling. “You did well. Now, you must clean up after yourself, quickly. We don’t know when someone else will pass by and we must remove him so that the locals do not get suspicious about all the bodies drained of blood lying around. Go pick him up and I’ll take you to where we can dispose of him.”

“Pick him up? Surely, you’re joking! He’s a grown man, larger than me by 15 stone at least!” Anne protested.

“Go pick him up—now,” Sophie ordered. “Don’t make me compel you. If I tell you to do something, I expect you to comply—understood?”

Anne got a sudden thrill from being ordered about by Sophie—not as thrilling as drinking from her first kill, but nonetheless, very pleasant. She walked over to the man, bend down, and picked him up in her arms, and carried him over her left shoulder, returning to where Sophie was standing.

“Is he too heavy for you,” Sophie asked.

“Why no—he feels light as a feather!” Anne exclaimed.

“Congratulations—you now have super-human strength and all of your senses are heightened. That will stand you in good stead, going forward. Now, I told you that vampires can run faster than humans can detect. Take my hand and come with me—and do try to keep up,” Sophie said laughing as the two vampires and the corpse seemingly vanished into thin air. 10 minutes later, they were in the middle of a dark, almost sinister forest. Sophie pointed to a pile of leaves and other forest detritus, and directed Anne to deposit the corpse there.

“That’s it? We don’t have to bury him?” Anne asked. “Non, it’s not necessary. The predators will have pulled his corpse apart within the next day, and feast on his entrails. If we were to come back at the end of the week there would be nothing but a stray bone or two remaining.

“Well that certainly takes advantage of nature’s natural order, doesn’t it?” Anne said, relieved. “If I had to dig a grave every time I feed, it would get tedious. This is much more efficient.”

“There’s my scientist!” Sophie exclaimed. “Now, let me take us back to where we will find a few more humans. I’m thirsty too, and you need at least one more victim to sustain you for a night--then we will return home.”

“But you sent the carriage away—how will we get back?” Anne asked.

“We don’t need carriages—those are just for show. We’ll run so fast that our feet won’t even hit the ground—like a bird in flight. We’ll be back in plenty of time to get settled for your first full day of ‘rest’ as a vampire, and well before the sun rises. In your newly formed state, you are even more vulnerable to sunlight, so you must take great care, Anne.”

“Right—let’s go then. I’m getting thirsty again.”


	10. The First Night

They returned to Sophie’s home after a full night of hunting. Anne had managed her very first solo-kill, with no coaching, and although it was a bit messy and inelegant, the goal was achieved, and she got the blood she needed to sustain her.

“I’ll get better at that, won’t I Sophie?” Anne asked, as she sat on the sofa.

“Of course—think back to the first time you made love to a woman. You fumbled around a bit, not quite sure how to approach the situation. But after a time or two, with some trial and error, you grew more confident in your skills and you’ve grown into the magnificent lover that you are today. The same thing will happen with hunting,” Sophie promised. “How do you feel, mon Coeur?”

“I feel very strange, but wonderful at the same time—does that make sense?” Anne asked. “In some ways, I feel like myself and in others, I don’t recognize me.”

“Tell me, ma chere. What don’t you recognize?” Sophie asked, sitting closely to Anne, taking her hand, placing it in her lap, and gently stroking it while she waited for Anne to collect her thoughts.

“I had this whole life before today—full of love and loss, and excitement and disappointment, and a hundred other emotions,” Anne explained. “But it all seems so banal, and the things that were very important to me seem much less so. All that matters is learning everything about this new life of mine. How to navigate the world in this new consciousness of mine.”

“There’s plenty of time for that, my darling, Anne,” Sophie said. “Time is all you have now—truly. If you decide not to do anything for a day, a week, a year—none of it matters, because you have an endless supply of time—you’ll never run out of it.”

“But you see, I’ve always taken hold of my life and made the most of every moment—and I want to do that now! I want to go places, see things, try out my new strength and powers. Are there others of us nearby? Is there some sort of a vampire club where members meet and—well—socialize?”

“For now, my love, I will ask you to follow my lead,” Sophie explained, depositing a kiss on Anne’s hand. “There is much you must learn before you can travel about in society freely, and the more time you spend preparing yourself and learning our ways, the easier your entry will be.”

“So it will be like studying?” Anne said, excitedly. “I’ll enjoy that very much! I spend most of my day learning some new thing or another, whether it be a new language, or mathematics or science, so this sounds like something I can really sink my teeth into.”

“Anne, that was a terrible joke,” Sophie said shaking her head.

“Too soon?” Anne said smiling.

“And as the night is coming to an end, and the sun is getting ready to make its appearance, it’s time for us to retire for the day. I hope you won’t mind sharing my space with me, Anne?”

“I rather hoped I would,” Anne said, with a wolfish grin.

“Come with me, ma chere,” Sophie said as she walked over to one of the walls, tapped it, and a secret door opened revealing a staircase.

“Well that’s marvelous!” Anne exclaimed. “Where do the stairs take us?”

“You’ll see,” Sophie said. “Viens avec moi. Il est temps de se recoucher, car après la chasse, j'ai soif d'autre chose. ”16

“You’re making me blush, Sophie, and I’m no school girl,” Anne said.

“Good. I’m glad I keep you on your toes. You’ve been far too complacent, being in charge with all of your many jeune filles. Now, you’re with a real woman, and I hope you can keep up with me. I have a ravenous appetite for you, ma belle,” Sophie said, leading the way downstairs.

 _I hope I can too,_ Anne thought. _I’ve really met my match, haven’t I?_

“Wait, it’s dark, shouldn’t we bring a candle?” Anne asked.

“Dark? There is no dark for us. We can see in the dark even better than in the light,” Sophie explained.

“You’re right!” Anne marveled as she followed Sophie down the long staircase and through a doorway into a beautiful room—as beautiful as Sophie’s other room had been, only more personal and intimate. The colors were rich and solid—the walls were painted a soft gray color, and it contained several wing chairs in the corners, a beautifully carved dresser with a basin and pitcher for washing. There was a handsome mahogany armoire where Anne supposed Sophie kept some of her clothing. But the most interesting feature of this room was that there was a room within the room. The wooden walls stood floor to ceiling, and when Sophie opened the door to the interior room, Anne marveled at the richness of the wood and the thickness of the walls. She couldn’t even fathom how much it had cost to construct such a beautiful enclosure. Within it was an enormous and inviting bed, made up with impossibly white cotton sheets that she was certain were as soft as they looked.

“Its important to protect ourselves while we are at rest, because it’s not quite like sleeping. Once the sun rises, within 30 minutes, it’s like we are put into a state of waiting. We don’t move, but we can hear and see everything. It’s like we are frozen, until the sun sets, and we are released from that state and we can rise again, and carry on as we normally would,” Sophie said. “This room was constructed to provide protection from light, from noise, and from intruders. You’ve met Jack, but this house and the property is surrounded by guards who are loyal to me. They protect me from all threats, real or implied. One cannot be too careful Anne. There are those who would try kill us for being demons, and we must always be on guard. We are vulnerable when we are at rest, and we cannot react quickly as we normally would.”

Sophie moved to the dresser and pulled out two identical cream-colored nightgowns, woven from the softest fabric Anne had ever felt. “Here—put this on. I’m sure it will fit you. What is it Anne? You look a bit…concerned,” Sophie asked.

“It’s nothing…sorry….it’s all just a little overwhelming,” Anne said.

“Of course, darling. It is a lot to take in all at once,” Sophie said, leaning over to kiss Anne and caress her cheek. “We will sleep the sleep of angels, wrapped in each other’s arms, and when you awaken, you will feel rested, and ready to take on the new night!”

Anne had a million more questions, but she knew she would drive Sophie mad with them, so she checked herself and took Sophie’s lead. Anne began undressing herself and turned herself around so Sophie could help her with her corset and stays. Sophie made quick work of the laces, and Anne was soon dressed in her nightgown. After helping Sophie with her more complicated disrobing process, she took a few moments to wash her hands and face from the hunting excursion before getting ready to climb into ‘bed’. Sophie waited for her to finish and walked her over to the left side of the bed, where she drew the covers down, and directed Anne to sit at the edge of the bed.

“I hope you don’t mind, darling, but I won’t be able to rest until I taste you again. Hunting satisfied one thirst, but it can’t quench the thirst I have for you, my beautiful and handsome, Miss Lister.” Sophie knelt on the floor in front of Anne, raised her gown, and spread her legs. “Would that be all right with you, Anne? Do you want me to make love to you?” Sophie asked, looking directly into Anne’s eyes.

Anne laughed, and stroked Sophie’s face. “You don’t need to compel me, darling. I always want you to make love to me—with you, I don’t feel like I need to be in charge all the time. I feel comfortable with you—as though I’ve known you forever.”

“You caught me, Anne, and I’m so sorry. I’ve been without a partner for a long time, and I’ve forgotten the basic civilities. I should have just asked and waited for an answer rather than forcing you to do my bidding.”

“I don’t think you’ll ever have to twist my arm, Sophie. Your tongue is magic.” Anne lay back onto the bed, as she felt Sophie spread her lips apart with her hands and put her whole mouth on her. Her tongue really was magical, pulling sensations and feelings from her body that she’d never known before. Anne was so aroused, her breasts were aching with longing such that she took her own hands and massaged them, while she teased her nipples with a feather light touch. Sophie’s mouth was everywhere at once, licking, sucking and biting, bringing Anne closer and closer to her climax. As she felt Sophie focus all of her efforts on her clitoris, Anne’s bodied tensed, waiting for its blessed relief. Sophie seamlessly replaced her mouth with her fingers, and just as Anne was falling over the edge into bliss, she felt Sophie’s teeth pierce the skin on her thigh. As Anne came, bucking her hips, legs trembling, Sophie held her down with her superhuman strength and continued to drink until Anne’s orgasm abated.

Anne picked her head up to look down at Sophie. Her eyes were beautiful and dark with lust, and lips, plump and full, with a few drops of blood collected around her mouth. Anne stared in awe at this beautiful creature who—loved her? Is that what this feels like? To be worshipped and adored. To have someone put her first. _Oh this is new. It’s going to take a bit of getting used to, but I think I’m up for it._

“Viens ici pour que je puisse te baiser, Sophie” Anne said, drawing her up from the floor and pulling her on top of her. She captured Sophie’s lips in hers and savored every drop of blood that still remained on her lips, moving down to Sophie’s breasts, kissing, licking and sucking them until Sophie was squirming on top of her.

“Please, Anne. There isn’t much time left—you must—ohhhhhhh,” Sophie cried out as Anne rolled on top of her, straddled her thigh and plunged her fingers inside her. "Oh mon dieu, that’s good,” Sophie said, her head thrown back enjoying every moment of Anne’s relentless pounding. While she fucked her as hard as she’d ever done, her mouth was fastened to her breast, sucking harder and harder, until her fangs appeared of their own volition, and she emitted a growl that Sophie could not mistake. “Oui, oui, mords-moi et bois le sang qui est mon amour pour toi ,” Sophie said , inflaming Anne’s passion to a fever pitch. She wasted no time and bit down hard on Sophie’s breast, drinking in her delicious, life-giving blood. _There’s nothing—nothing that tastes like this,_ Anne thought vaguely as she fought to stay focused on fucking Sophie.

“C’est tout! J’arrive,” Sophie cried, as her walls clamped down on Anne’s fingers, almost crushing them before she felt the spasms start. Anne disengaged her fangs from Sophie’s breast, and licked every bit of blood, not wanting to lose even a drop. She released her hand, and held Sophie close to her, feeling soft tears landing on her chest.

“Darling, what is it? Have I hurt you?” Anne said, looking down at her beautiful lover who was falling apart in her arms.

“It’s…it’s just been such a long time,” Sophie confessed. “Longer than I dared let you know. I’ve missed sharing this with someone like me. It’s like nothing else in this world. I thought I should never find it again,” she said as the tears continued to fall.

Anne held her closer, and, rocking her gently, and caressing her back, until she felt her relax. “I’m glad you told me, darling. And I’m honored that you chose me,” Anne said sincerely, as she felt the energy drain out of her, and she was no longer able to speak. She knew vaguely what was happening, and she could hear Sophie tell her to relax, as her brain shut itself off and she surrendered to the sleep of the dead.

Footnotes:

16“Come with me. It's time that we once again lay down, because after hunting, I've become thirsty for something else.

17” Come here so I can fuck you, Sophie.”

18”Yes yes, bite me, and drink the blood that is my love for you.”


	11. Good morning!

As soon as the sun began to set, Sophie awakened, and looked over at a very comfortable looking Anne. Since she was still a new vampire, she would let her sleep until the sun truly set—just to be safe. Sophie quietly got out of bed, and exited the sleeping chamber. She took advantage of the fresh basin of water that her maid had kindly left out and refreshed herself. Normally, she would have preferred to take a bath following the prior night’s festivities, but Anne didn’t know her way the house yet, and she wanted to be there when she woke up.

As she brushed her long, dark hair out, she marveled at her good fortune. It had all gone so splendidly! She didn’t have to coerce, cajole, manipulate, compel, or otherwise force Anne into adopting the life of a vampire—she had actually asked for it! _She really is quite an extraordinary woman. She seems to have been made for this lifestyle. She isn’t a bit squeamish about the hunting, which can be quite a hurdle to overcome. She’s quite an adventurer, and I love her inquisitive mind. I think this is going to work out splendidly!_

Sophie heard a very soft knock at the exterior door. She rose and opened it to her maid, Eugenie, who was inquiring about special instructions for the evening. Thinking back to what had been helpful to her when she had just been ‘made’, she instructed Eugenie to draw a bath, lay out clothing for Miss Lister, and prepare a light breakfast of fruit and assorted cheese and bread.

“And tomorrow evening, I’d like my dressmaker and the household tailor to come by. We’ll need to get Miss Lister a new wardrobe, and I’d like them to start on it as soon as possible. And tell Jack that I will have a list of instructions for him to bring to my lawyer, Monsieur Voisin. _I must make provisions for Anne to protect her financially in the event that anything should happen to me. And we must begin to manage her death—for she is no longer mortal Anne Lister. I’m sure she has lodgings and bills that need to be taken care of, and personal belongings to collect. She is now an immortal being, and no one from her previous life must know that she has transitioned—they must think that she is dead._

Sophie understood that this might be an issue for Anne. She had not had the opportunity to ask about Anne’s family before she had bestowed the gift upon Anne. All of her research on Anne’s life showed that most of her close family members had died. There seemed to be a vague reference to a sister, Marian Lister, but she wasn’t certain if they were close. Anne had been travelling for the past two years, so it would have been some time since Marian had actually seen her.

“Sophie?” Anne called from inside the interior room. “Are you there, love, or have you left me all alone, to my own devices?”

Sophie dismissed Eugenie so she could attend to her duties, and opened the door to the interior room. _Mon dieu elle est belle quand elle se réveille pour la première fois,_ 19 Sophie thought, taking in the vision of Anne Lister, lounging against her pillows, her hair falling loosely over her shoulders.

“Good evening, my beautiful Anne. How was your rest?” Sophie asked, crawling back into bed next to Anne, laying her head on her shoulder, as Anne wrapped her arms around her.

“I slept like the dead,” Anne said, earning a slap to her arm.

“If I had known you told such bad jokes, I never would have had sex with you,” Sophie said.

“Ah but it’s too late, my dear Sophie—you have ‘known’ me in all ways, and so of course, none other but me shall do, going forward,” Anne said, her swagger returning in full force.

“Hmmmph,” Sophie huffed. “If you need to think that, my dear, then please do. What I will say is that, aside from the poor jokes, you have exceeded my every expectation.”

“Well, I’m very glad about that,” Anne said, lifting Sophie’s chin up to capture her lips in a deep, passionate kiss, which was enthusiastically returned. Sophie raised Anne’s nightgown up past her hips, and ran her fingers through Anne’s already damp patch of hair. Anne grabbed Sophie’s hand, flipped her over so that she was lying on top and pinned both of her hands above her head. “Oh, you want to take charge, do you, Miss…Lister,” Sophie said, as she tried to free her arms from Anne’s grasp.

“I do love the way my name sounds when it rolls off your tongue,” Anne said as she tightened her hold on Sophie’s arms and slipped her thigh between Sophie’s legs. As Anne pressed her thigh hard into Sophie’s center, Sophie returned the favor and bent her knee so that Anne would have something firm to press into.

“You are so very wet, Miss…Lister,” Sophie said, lifting her head to try to reach Anne’s breast which was tantalizing close to her mouth.

“Yes, I suppose I am,” Anne said, grinding her thigh into Sophie’s center, impeded slightly by the fabric of Sophie’s nightgown which she had neglected to dispense with before she had bested Sophie in taking control.

“If you let go of my arms, I can use more of me to make you feel amazing,” Sophie said, trying her best to tempt Anne into releasing her arms.

“No thank you—I’m fine where I am,” Anne said as she moved her mouth to Sophie’s neck and kissed, licked, sucked and nipped at the tender, white skin. She looked up at Sophie to find her fangs had appeared, and her eyes were dark with lust. Seeing Sophie so inflamed sent Anne’s head spinning with arousal, and she immediately released her hold on Sophie, and rolled over onto her back.

“That’s better, Anne,” Sophie said smiling, her fangs peeking out from her lips. "Lie back and take your pleasure."

“You cheated,” Anne said pouting, as she pulled her nightgown over her head and spread her legs a bit to allow Sophie better access. “You’re compelling me to let you take control of me in bed again—you know I’m powerless to resist you!”

Sophie threw her head back and laughed out loud, as she returned her hand to where it was when all of this began. “Oh my dear, now that is funny! You know very well that I did nothing to compel you—you rolled over onto your back and spread your legs for me all on your own, ma femme excitée."20

“What? Why, that’s so unlike me. Why on earth would I have done that without being forced to?” Anne said genuinely puzzled, as she moved her hips to try to get Sophie’s hand to put pressure where she needed her to, but instead, was being teased by Sophie’s gentle caresses. “Here I am, offering myself up to you, ready to beg you to fuck me—which is something, I assure you, Madamoiselle, that I have never, ever done before."

Sophie sighed, as she took her middle finger and toyed with Anne’s very wet entrance. “Do you like how I make you feel?” Sophie asked, not bothering to wait for an answer. “Have you ever, ever, had a lover who knew how to properly bring you pleasure, without you having to worry if they were going to be able to go through with it? You have been starved, mon Coeur, and your body is crying out for all the love and attention and pleasure you’ve been denied all these years, chasing after women who were never your equal. Women who were bored and were looking for a bit of diversion. Women who were happy to have you make love to them, while your body burned in agony, aching for just one touch from them that would set you free. Those days are finished, my love. You and I are the same—we love to make love with women—and I said ‘with’, not ‘to’. There is a very big difference.”

Anne listened intently to everything Sophie had to say. She thought of the moment when she had released her arms from where she pinned them above her head and rolled over onto her back, wantonly spreading her legs. _She’s right. She didn’t compel me. I saw her fangs come out, and lust overcame me, and I wanted to feel her hands and her mouth on me. It was all I could think of, so I just sort of…submitted to her._

Anne’s thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of two of Sophie’s fingers sliding deeply into her, curling themselves up to touch her in her new favorite spot, while her palm applied delicious pleasure to her clitoris. Sophie’s mouth moved down to Anne’s breast, sucking her nipple in and rolling her tongue around it, earning her a gasp of pleasure from Anne.

“Let go, my sweet woman—let yourself go and feel all the pleasure I have to give to you,” Sophie cooed, bringing Anne closer and closer to her release. Anne’s hips moved of their own accord, keeping rhythm with Sophie’s hand, until they bucked up suddenly as Sophie’s fangs pierced the tender skin of her breast. Behind her closed eyes, Anne saw a blinding white light as her orgasm ripped through her, made only more intense by Sophie drinking her blood.

After just a few moments, Sophie released Anne’s breast, and Anne watched as Sophie’s fangs seemed to recede from view. She pulled Sophie down to kiss her so they could share the taste of her blood.

“Now that is a proper good morning,” Anne said as they broke their kiss and she curled up next to Sophie.

“I’m nothing if not an excellent hostess,” Sophie replied smoothly. “And now, it’s time to get out of bed—we have much to do, and we’ll start with a bath.”

“Together, I hope?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, ma fille charmant."

**Footnote Translations**

19 My God, she is beautiful when she first wakes up.

20 My horny woman. (it sounds so much better in French)


	12. Hunting for Interesting Prey

Anne closed the cover of her journal and sat back for a moment, feeling very accomplished as she allowed Sophocles to jump up onto her lap. They had an understanding—no jumping up onto the desk or her lap while she was writing—getting ink out of a cat’s fur is never a good experience, and they both agreed never to go through it again. Anne stroked the cat’s sleek, soft fur, as the feline began to purr and close its eyes in complete contentment. They stayed like this for several minutes. Anne was reluctant to disturb the cat in his contended state, but her hunger was getting a bit out of hand.

“And all good things must come to an end, my friend,” Anne said as she picked Sophocles up and deposited him on his bed. She walked out of her office, to the front hallway, and donned her overcoat, hat and customized “walking stick”. The walking stick had a short sword sheathed within it, for those times when revealing Anne’s super-human strength and fangs were not possible. Her goal was to blend in—not stand out. She was just an ordinary, albeit handsome, gentleman, out for a late evening stroll. It was easier for her to travel freely when dressed as a man—no woman could be seen walking about so very late and unescorted unless she were a trollop. Anne walked out the door, checked out her surroundings to make sure she wasn’t being watched, and used her vampiric speed to take her to the hunting grounds.

Hunting was the most important skill she learned from Sophie. Luckily, Anne was a quick study and never experienced any repugnance about drinking blood and killing. Ever the scientist, she was fascinated at the intense hunger that drove her to seek the blood that would fuel her existence. She learned how long she could comfortably go without hunting, and what the limits of her endurance were. She researched everything she could about her kind, and kept detailed records of all of her vampiric hunting excursions including the hunger she felt before she went, where she hunted, a description of her prey, what it felt like when her sharp teeth pierced the sensitive flesh of her prey and she began to suck the life force out of them, and whether or not she was sated after the feeding or required an additional sacrifice. That was her term for the people she killed, as they sacrificed themselves for her continued existence—granted without permission, but still, a noble death—at least in Anne’s mind.

She did sometimes think that if there ever was a need for a handbook on the care and feeding of a vampire, she literally had volumes devoted to the subject and would quickly become the noted expert in the field. But the number of her kind were too few and far between, and her diaries were for her alone. The only way they might ever see the light of day, or night, would be if she ceased to exist, and that was not something she imagined or planned for. It wasn’t easy for a vampire to die, although she’d knew of several of her kind, particularly the very old, who chose to walk into the sun, unable to carry on with the utter loneliness, boredom and isolation of their worlds. These individuals experienced immediate immolation, a fate which seemed quite cruel to Anne, and one which she had no intention of ever experiencing. And she’d seen the lasting effects of such an act on the persons left behind. Sophie had told her many stories about Sibella and the life that they had shared. And how her heart shattered the day that she had to say goodbye to Sibella as she chose to walk into the sun.

To guard against any feelings of vampire ‘ennui’, Anne lived a very purposeful life, constantly expanding her range of knowledge and expertise. She also took care not to isolate too much, making certain that she attended the right parties, knew the right people, and patronized the arts. She was always among creative souls who likely knew she was different but accepted her in all of her otherness. By keeping her world interesting and as “alive” as it could be for someone who had died long ago, she knew that walking into the sun would not be her way. There was simply too much “life” to enjoy, and her plan was to exist until the end of time.

She had never actually heard of one of her kind “dying” for lack of blood, for the hunger would always be satisfied, one way or another. She also had hunting rules she established for herself, taught to her by her Maker, as well as the rules that she learned on her own through trial and error. For Anne, her habit was to choose someone who 1) wouldn’t be missed 2) had little or nothing to offer mankind 3) deserved to die. Whether it be a thief in the middle of a crime, a man roughing up a whore on the street, or a vagrant, sleeping off the effects of too much alcohol, there was always someone in the wrong place at the right time—just for her. Mankind had plenty of depravity and evil that needed tending to, and she was able to do that. She delivered her own type of justice and exacted her price.

She was a careful hunter and adopted a lifestyle that allowed her a significant amount of anonymity. She had residences set up in a number of large European cities where she could more easily fit in among mortals and not stick out as something ‘other’, as she might in a smaller village, such as the one where she was born. As the decades wore on, she was able to go several days without needing to feed, which helped her hide her vicious crimes against nature and allowed her some semblance of being able to move through normal “society.

Anne arrived near a village, with a lively pub, a piano player, and a roomful of patrons, all getting progressively more drunk as the evening wore on. She stayed in the shadows, waiting for the right sort of person to walk out of the pub. She was soon rewarded when a very inebriated man exited the pub, with a beautiful woman on his arm. He was clearly having trouble walking, but he was relentlessly hanging onto the woman, who was trying to free herself from his grasp. She quickly walked from her hiding spot to the man and woman, and bumped up against the man’s arm, dislodging its hold on the woman. “Here man, let me help you. Where do you live?” Anne asked. The man muttered incoherently, and proceeded to fall down in the dirt.

“Are you alright, ma’am?” Anne asked solicitously.

“I am now, sugar,” said the woman with an accent that Anne found hard to place. “Thank you for rescuing me from that ruffian.”

“Do you need some assistance getting home?” Anne asked, fervently hoping the answer was no, so that she could indulge her hunger and feel calmer.

“No thank you, ma’am. My apartment is in that house just across the way. He needs more help from you than I do,” she said winking. “Make sure you get a good drink from him—don’t leave a drop behind. That man is a sadist and deserves everything he has coming to him.”

Anne was shocked at the woman’s words—so shocked, she just stared at her with her mouth open a bit. The woman laughed, and said, “Oh don’t worry sweet thing! I won’t tell anyone about you and your little secret. Hell, you and your kind do more to clean up these streets than any lawmen I’ve ever met.”

“But how do you—know?” Anne asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

“I know a woman who’s like you. She had beautiful golden locks of hair, and she was truly an angel. She rescued me from a very bad man once, and she befriended me after—always looking out for me, making sure I had a safe place to live, and food on my table. She was…very kind and…very special to me. I got to know her intimately,” the woman said, batting her eyes at Anne. “She offered me the chance to become like her, and I declined after she showed me what life would be like as a blood drinker. Life hasn’t been kind enough to me to want to make it last indefinitely. I’ll live one lifetime and it will be more than enough.”

Anne’s senses were on high alert—that sounded like something Ann—her Ann-- would do! Was it possible that she had been here—and had a relationship with this woman?

“I see, Miss…” Anne asked.

“Just call me Miss Smith.”

Knowing the woman was hiding her identity from her, she decided to let it go—for now.

“What ever happened to that woman, with the golden hair?”

“She’s still around. I see her from time to time, hiding in the shadows. I stay away from her. She was very hurt when I declined her offer, and she says it would hurt too much to still see me. I do love her, and never meant to cause her any pain. But I don’t love her or anyone enough to promise forever, especially when forever can mean more than 1,000 years.”

“Miss Smith, do you happen to know where she lives?” Anne asked, trying to disguise how badly she wanted to know.

“Yes, I do, but why would I tell a complete stranger where she lives?” Miss Smith asked.

“Because I just saved you from this slob lying in the dirt, and because I’ve asked nicely,” Anne said, smoothly.

“Nice try, but I don’t think so. I’m sure you’ll run into her yourself soon enough. But if I see her, I can tell her that you were asking for her, Miss, or do you prefer Mister?”

“It’s Miss. Miss Anne Lister. I’m quite sure she’ll remember me.”

“Well I’m sure she will, sugar. A handsome man, who is really a woman? Now that is very, very interesting to me, Miss Lister,” Miss Smith said, biting her lower lip and betraying her attraction to Anne. “If you’d like to take care of your thirst and then come to my place for a little while, I’d be happy for the company,” Miss Smith said, as she got on her toes and deposited a soft kiss on Anne’s lips. “Happy hunting, Miss Lister. I hope I see you later tonight, or, perhaps another time. Just take the outside stairs up two flights. Mine is the only apartment up there. You can’t miss it.”

“Thank you, Miss Smith, and I will wish you a good evening,” Anne said, as she hoisted the passed-out man over her shoulder. She walked at a normal pace until she was in the shadows, then sped off to an isolated spot in the woods. She was already starved for blood, and that very attractive Miss Smith had flirted shamelessly with her, leaving Anne in quite a state of hunger and arousal. She leaned up against a tree trunk and held the unknown man up while she sank her fangs into his neck. He was so drunk, his blood tasted of spirits, and his violent, pathetic, life passed before her eyes. She drank deeply, draining his blood in a matter of minutes, and dropping him to the ground unceremoniously. She dusted her coat off, and sped back to the village. She was still hungry, but for something else entirely.


	13. Miss Smith, I presume?

She walked up to the rooming house, and took the stairs two at a time until she reached the top floor. Before she had the chance to knock, Miss Smith was there, opening the door for her, looking very lovely, with her blond hair halfway down her back, wearing a very thin, white nightdress. “What took you so long, sugar?” she said smiling as she invited Anne in. _Clearly, she knows the rules,_ Anne thought.

“Why don’t you take off your coat and hat and stay awhile. In fact, why don’t you take all of your clothes off and join me in that very comfortable bed of mine.”

“You look lovely, my dear,” Anne said suavely, as she deposited her hat and coat on the rack by the door. She took in the vision of loveliness that stood before her, so willing, so tempting. Anne had not been with a woman in quite some time--by choice--but tonight appeared to be a special occasion. She suspected it had more to do with how hungry she had allowed herself to become without feeding, putting her in a more vulnerable emotional place, and the mention of her long, lost, love Ann, who she had never quite gotten over. And the woman was beautiful, and wanton—a heady mix.

“Do you have a first name, Miss Smith?” Anne asked.

“It’s Sarah,” she said, as she helped Anne start to undress by untying her cravat and unbuttoning her fine shirt. “I hate to be so forward, but I need to tell you that I find you very arousing, Miss Lister. All suited up like a handsome man, but with all the lovely treasures of a woman underneath your fine clothes.” Sarah pushed Anne’s shirt off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, while Anne made quick work of unbuttoning her pants and letting them join the shirt on the floor. She stepped out of her boots, and freed her legs from her pants, and picked up the hem of Sarah’s nightdress and pulled it over her head.

“My but you’re lovely, my dear,” Anne said, taking Sarah into her arms. Both women where sufficiently aroused that they were more than happy to dispense with pleasantries. They crashed their lips together and Sarah sucked Anne’s tongue into her mouth, and caressed it with her own. Anne grasped Sarah’s breast and massaged it, bringing her nipple to a fine point.

“Anne, I can’t wait—please take me!” Sarah gasped, as Anne laid her down onto the bed and suckled her breast in earnest while her hand opened her legs roughly and plunged three fingers inside. Sarah was more than ready for Anne, and she met her, thrust for thrust, while her mouth continued to devour Anne’s. Anne was delighted to find Sarah so willing and free with her desire. It was truly liberating, and she knew she did not need to be gentle.

Anne continued to fuck Sarah, hard, completely ignoring her clitoris for the time being, and she was hearing no complaints. She switched her attentions to Sarah’s other breast, while Sarah reached down and put her hands inside the waistband of Anne’s under clothes. “Oh, so wet!” Sarah said as she ran her fingers through Anne’s folds, covering them with her slickness.

Sarah’s actions merely served to inflame Anne’s desire, and she continued to fuck her at a brutal pace, while she slid down so her lips could capture Sarah’s clit and suck it into her mouth. Sarah’s deep, rumbling moan was Anne’s reward as she sucked, licked and nipped at Sarah’s clit, while driving her fingers to the deepest part of her womb. “That’s it, sugar—I’m coming!” Sarah cried as grabbed Anne’s head and held it to her, keeping her in place while she rode out her orgasm. When Sarah was completely spent, Anne, shifted her body closer to her, and took her into her arms, allowing her a few minutes to recover.

“Well, that was something I wasn’t expecting tonight,” Sarah said chuckling, as she leaned over on her side and began kissing Anne’s face, her neck, her shoulders, and her hand found the source of Anne’s heated desire. She swirled her fingers around Anne’s opening, marveling at the heat and the wetness. Anne grabbed her hand and slid two fingers inside her, causing Sarah to gasp at the unexpected heat. Sarah continued fucking her while her thumb found her clit and applied the perfect amount of pressure. Anne pulled her head down to her breast, and was relieved when she felt Sarah’s lips wrap themselves around her very hard nipple. Anne was floating in a sea of pleasure, and confident that she was in good hands--her lust was being soothed, and she would soon find her satisfaction.

Sarah’s constant pressure and rapid thrusting, combined with the exquisite feeling of lips on her nipple, took Anne higher and higher until her pleasure finally peaked and she came with a fierce moan, clutching onto the bed sheets. Sarah pulled her fingers out, and licked them clean, delighting in Anne’s taste.

Anne wondered vaguely who this woman was and how she really had come to know Ann. This was all quite a surprise—she had intended to just get some information from Sarah about Ann, and then-- well, it had been some time since Anne had been with a woman, and Sarah was particularly tempting…

“If you come back sometime, I can pay you more proper attention, sweetheart—maybe something a bit more adventurous?” Sarah said, flirting with Anne.

“Hmmm… would you like it if I came back, Sarah?” Anne asked as she nuzzled her neck.

“A fine woman like you doesn’t come around every day—I would be happy to see you whenever you want to come around” Sarah said.

“Tell me—are you certain that you aren’t seeing that other blood drinker from time to time? I wouldn’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” Anne said, trying to get more information from Sarah.

“I’m certain. We have an understanding. I don’t ever want to change who I am, and she can’t bear to be with me, knowing that she can’t have me forever.”

“Do you miss her?” Anne asked.

“Yes, sometimes--but I try not to. It was my choice, and I know I hurt her. How do you know Ann?” Sarah asked.

“How did you….nevermind—I’ve been pretty obvious about my interest in her, haven’t I” Anne said truthfully. “We met before I was who I am today. She gave me a choice too, and I didn’t answer her fast enough, and she left for parts unknown. I was fortunate enough to meet another beautiful blood drinker who gave me the gift, and I’ve never been happier. I like this life—it suits me.”

“Where is the woman who made you?” Sarah asked.

“We parted amicably after over 100 years together. She fell in love with someone else, and I had to let her go. That was more than 20 years ago, and I’ve lived alone ever since. It does get lonely sometimes, but every now and again, God brings an angel like you into my arms, and it feels like all is right with the world again.”

“And I’m the woman who knows where your Ann is—the one who got away?” Sarah said smiling, watching Anne’s face fall a bit. “Don’t worry sweetheart. I’m sure after a few more visits, you’ll be able to charm that information out of me.”

“That’s one way—and the other is for you to simply tell me now.” Anne’s dark orbs locked with Sarah’s, willing her, compelling her to give her the information she’s longed for more than she’d care to admit.

“Like I said, you should come back and see me, and after you’ve provided me with several nights of pleasure, I’ll be glad to tell you where Ann is. Hell, I might even delivery you personally, so she can show me how grateful she is,” Sarah said.

_Hmm…this is odd…she’s not being compelled by me…something magical is afoot._

“My dear, would you happen to be a witch?” Anne asked pointedly.

“Well, yes, sugar—I am. Does that change anything between us?” Sarah asked coyly.

_Only that I have a much more worthy adversary on my hands…I’ll have to be clever indeed to get Ann’s location from her. Although, spending several evenings pleasuring her to get the information I need wouldn’t be a hardship._

“Of course not, although I’ll not waste any time trying to compel you to tell me what I want to know. You do understand Sarah, that I’ve been hoping to find her for a very long time,” Anne said, trying to reason with her.

“And I also know that you’ve not actually looked that hard for her, and instead relied on fate to bring the two of you together. And so it shall, but I am the conduit. And I have named my price, and I shall have my price—or I won’t tell you where Ann is.”

“Well, I don’t know how any could refuse such a delightful offer,” Anne said, offering a smile to cover her anger.

“You are a sweet talker,” Sarah said playfully. “But I do know that sunrise is coming quickly, and that you need to go. You should tell me when I’ll see you again—it’s been a disturbingly long time since I’ve shared my bed with a woman of your gifts and talents, and I will have my cup filled before I hand you over to Ann. And if I were you, I would tell her nothing about our little bargain—it would hurt her terribly, and it would only backfire on you.”

“You do know her very well—and I know that you’re right about how Ann would feel about this distasteful arrangement.”

“Oh, sugar—I don’t think even you can call me distasteful and mean it,” Sarah said playfully.

“I didn’t mean to imply that your taste is anything but sublime my dear…but this is blackmail, and blackmail is, generally speaking, distasteful. But I have to confess that I’ve engaged in it a time or two myself, when circumstances merit, and I would say this circumstance merits it,” Anne said. “I will come back in 3 evenings from now.” _I will need to hunt by then and my blood lust will be aroused, so I will have no trouble keeping my end of the bargain with Sarah._

“Don’t make me wait too late for you, Anne. I want you all night long.”

“I’ll come by within two hours after sunset. We’ll have a lovely evening getting to know each other better.”

“That sounds like a date, Miss Lister.”


	14. Guess Who's Come for a Visit?

Anne returned home to find the servants in the midst of a flurry of activity, which was odd for the early hours of the morning. “Cordingly? What’s happening? What’s all the bustling about for?” Anne asked.

“That would be because of me, my chere Anne!” a familiar voice called from the sitting room. “I hope you don’t mind, but I made myself at home in your absence.”

“Of course not, my love—you’re family. You are welcome at any time, and I am delighted to see you,” Anne said, pulling Sophie into a warm embrace.

“Thank you, Anne. You are such a dear. I have missed you—when was the last time we saw each other?”

“It was about two years ago now, I believe—too long, I agree. Thank goodness you and I are both excellent correspondents, otherwise I would go mad with missing you,” Anne said, truthfully. “I do long for my best friend’s company. I mean, I stay busy of course, but there is nothing like spending time with you to brighten my world. Please tell me you will stay for awhile?”

“I’m not certain how long my visit will be,” Sophie said, “but I shall certainly be here for a few weeks. I thought perhaps you and I might take a trip, but we have time to discuss that later. And now, mon Coeur, it’s nearly dawn, and I’m not sure who you have stashed up in your lair, but do you suppose you have a place for me to lie down beside you?” Sophie asked.

“Of course, Sophie! We always sleep together when we visit—nothing has changed—unless it has and I don’t know about it?” Anne asked, getting the distinct feeling that Sophie was here for a specific purpose, and that she wasn’t ready to tell her the whole story yet.

“No, ma chere—I just wasn’t certain if perhaps you had someone special and your circumstances have changed,” Sophie said, giving her a knowing look.

“No one special—just a bit of fun now and again,” Anne said blushing, slightly.

“You certainly smell like you’ve had quite a bit of fun tonight,” Sophie said, laughing. “And you have lipstick smeared all along your neck. But if you say it’s nothing serious, and you’re free of entanglements, then that’s wonderful.”

“And what about Yvan?” Anne asked, giving Sophie a knowing look of her own.

“Yvan is not a concern any longer,” Sophie said resolutely. “We will have plenty of time for that story later. Take me to bed, please,” she said, as she took Anne’s arm and they walked down the corridor to Anne’s sleeping chamber.

“Cordingly, in the morning, please send Madamoiselle Sophie’s bags to the room next to mine. She’ll stay with me, but if I know my guest, she’s brought a mountain of luggage with her and she’ll need room to spread out while she’s getting dressed.”

“Of course, Miss Lister. And for tonight, I’ve laid out a nightdress for her in your suite, along with fresh towels and a water basin.”

“Splendid, Cordingly—well done!” Anne said, always grateful for Cordingly’s exceptional hospitality skills.

Anne led Sophie down to her chamber. “This is lovely, Anne!” Sophie remarked as she entered Anne’s sanctuary. “Your taste has always been impeccable, but this is truly outstanding.”

“Have you not seen this room before, Sophie?” Anne said, puzzled. “Oh of course—this is one of my newer construction projects, and this is your first chance to visit. It really has been too long.” Anne automatically began to help Sophie undress, with the ease and comfort of someone who had done this task for many years.

“I’m just very glad to be with you tonight, Anne. To say that I have missed you is an understatement,” Sophie said sincerely, relieved to be out of her travelling clothes as she pulled on the nightdress that had been laid out for her.

Anne made quick work of getting undressed—wearing men’s clothing really was so much easier to manage—and took a few minutes to refresh herself after the evening’s activities, before donning an identical nightdress. Anne escorted Sophie into the sleeping chamber, and closed the thick door behind them. Cordingly had lit candles and left them on the nightstands, so the room held a warm glow—but all natural light was of course blocked.

“Mon dieu, it’s silent in here!” Sophie exclaimed. “These walls must be incredibly thick.”

“They are. I love the silence, but I can still hear someone coming from 100 feet away, even with these walls, so I feel safe,” Anne explained. “Now climb into this bed and let me hold you in my arms, my love.” She really wasn’t certain why Sophie had shown up like this, but she could sense that her friend’s heart was heavy, and she needed the comfort of someone who she knew loved her like no one else ever could.

“Oh that sounds like heaven, mon Coeur,” Sophie said, sinking into the soft bed and into Anne’s welcoming embrace. “I know that my sudden arrival has left you with a hundred questions, and I promise, I will tell you everything. But tonight, I just want to kiss you, and hold you close as I fall asleep in the arms of the one person who has never caused me a moment of worry or pain.”

“And I never will,” Anne said firmly, bringing her lips down to Sophie’s and rekindling their passion that may have been dormant, but was never extinguished.

 _She shouldn’t make a promise that she can’t keep…and after I tell her why I am here and what I need to tell her, everything might change for us—but especially for her,_ Sophie thought, as she let her mind empty of her worries, and enjoy the heady feeling of having Anne’s lips upon hers, and being in her arms again—there really was no feeling on this earth like it.


	15. Purpose revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie finally tells Anne why she's come all this way to visit.

They passed their “day” peacefully in Anne's luxurious bed, wrapped in each other’s arms, enjoying the comfort that their long relationship never failed to provide. When they rose at the start of the evening, Sophie headed for the room next to Anne’s where Cordingly had put all of her luggage. 

“You know me, mon Coeur. I do nothing halfway,” Sophie said unapologetically, when Anne teased her about travelling ‘light’.

They dressed and went upstairs to the breakfast room, where there was a fine array of pastries and fruit, in addition to the traditional English breakfast assortment that Anne preferred. They were greeted by a very animated Sophocles, who was rubbing his body against Sophie’s legs, a loud purr evidence of his pleasure.

“Oh mon dieu, he’s gotten so big!” Sophie exclaimed. “Ma belle chatte, oh comme tu m'as manqué !”21

“I think he missed you as well, my dear. It’s as though I’m not even in the room—he only has eyes for you,” Anne said chuckling.

“We have a deep respect and appreciation for each other,” Sophie said, taking a seat at the table, and moving the chair next to her so that Sophocles could sit beside her. “You know how I feel about ‘les chatte’.” The cat, taking his cue, hopped up onto the chair, on high alert in the event someone might drop bacon on the floor.

“You spoil him, Sophie.”

“Oh, and you don’t?” Sophie said, quirking her eyebrow. “Listen to us, arguing like a couple of old women who own too many cats. I think we have some more important things to discuss.”

“Ah, good—you’re not going to keep me in suspense any longer,” Anne said. “I know you well enough not to rush such things, but it would be good to know the real reason you are here, other than that you miss me, of course.”

“That I do, mon Coeur, but yes, there are some things happening in the world of the blood drinkers that we need to discuss.”

“Well, you are much more tapped into that world than I am, so please enlighten me,” Anne said as she passed a plate of flaky croissants to Sophie.

“There is a group of individuals calling themselves the Sons of God who have decided to eliminate blood drinkers from existence. They are very organized, very strategic, and they focus on one vampire at a time, catching them unawares--right before the sun comes up--and burn them in the sun.”

“Hmmm…how many have they gotten so far?” Anne asked.

“About a dozen in France, six in England, and a few scattered about in other European countries,” Sophie replied. “They aren’t using the usual weapons that vampire hunters and fairy-tale writers have designated as being effective against our kind. They’re getting help from witches. The witches somehow lure us in, distract us, and use their magic to render us defenseless just long enough for members of the Sons of God to swoop in and take us out—one by one.”

The mention of witches made the hair on Anne’s neck stand up. “Really? I thought witches and vampires had a sort of unofficial ‘supernatural-beings’ gentleman’s agreement’. Live and let live, pardon the pun,” Anne said.

“I don’t miss your bad jokes even a tiny bit, Anne,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “Yes, for eons there has been a very informal, unspoken agreement that we generally leave each other alone. There are some inter-species couples who have found a great deal of happiness together, but it is rare, and it is the exception. But now, it seems that there is a faction of witches who have joined with the Sons of God to get rid of the Vampires. And if they get rid of us, then next it will be the Werewolves, and of course, then they will get rid of the very witches who helped them accomplish their sinister plans. A group of vampires have formed a sort of ‘committee’ to reach out to all the blood drinkers we know, and enlist their help in identifying and neutralizing the witch threat.”

“This does sound quite serious,” Anne said, looking pensive. “So you’ve come here to warn me, and to enlist my help in warning the others—hence the travel you mentioned. It would seem that if we eliminate the threat from the witches, then we will eliminate the ability of the Sons of God to kill us.”

“Exactement, ma chere! That is it exactly,” Sophie said. But Anne, what’s wrong? You look pale, and that’s saying something.”

Well, it’s just that the woman I met last night—it would seem that she’s a witch,” Anne confessed.

”Mon dieu, je ne t'ai pas appris mieux que ça ! Coupler avec des êtres surnaturels aléatoires avant de savoir quoi que ce soit à leur sujet ! Vous devez être prudent, imbécile impétueux!” 

“Now, there’s no need for name-calling, my dear! I had no idea she was a witch when I bedded her. She just seemed like a very pretty, very available woman. And I’ve been living like a nun since you took up with Yvan, so excuse me if I refuse to apologize for sleeping with an attractive woman, who I did not know was a potential evil witch, bent on eliminating my kind!” Anne said, raising her voice.

Sophie went still. “You’ve been living like a nun?” That’s not possible. You said you understood about Yvan, and that I had your support. I would never have chosen him if I knew it would cause you such pain, mon Coeur,” Sophie said, as she reached over to hold Anne’s hand. “I’m so very sorry, that I hurt you. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do.”

“I’m sorry I said all of that, Sophie, my dear. I…I never meant for you to know,” Anne said quietly. “Letting you go was the most loving thing I could think of doing for you in that situation. You were so careful of my feelings, dear, sweet Sophie, and I know I put up a very brave front. But it broke my heart. You had to have known that. Although I’m sure it was easier not to think too much about it.”

“I believed what you told me. You and I have always been very honest with each other, throughout all the years we’ve spent together. Why, when it came to the most important decision of our lives, would you choose that moment to lie to me? Oh, Anne, don't you know you are the most important person in my life, and you have been since the day I first saw you,” Sophie said, tears running down her face.

The two women were quiet for a long time, collecting themselves and digesting all the information that had just been shared.

“Now that the cat is out of the bag, we will have to take some time to discuss how we parted. But I think right now, the more critical topic is what to do about ‘the witch’,” Anne said, her eyes growing dark.

“And there’s something else you should know," Anne said. "The witch that I slept with--she knows where Ann Walker is. That’s why I went to her in the first place. She knew all about blood drinkers. She’s attracted to blood drinkers and she told me about one that she’d known one that sounded just like Ann. So I went back to her to compel her to tell me where she was.”

“Did you have to compel her with your pants off, ma chere?” Sophie said, her eyebrow lifting. “As far as I know, compelling is done with the eyes—not with the…”

“Yes, yes, never mind all that,” Anne said brusquely. “The point is, I could not compel her—at all. She was immune. That’s when I confronted her about being a witch and she admitted it.”

“This is excellent! We know Ann Walker is nearby, and once we make the witch tell us where she is and eliminate her, we can find Ann and warn her,” Sophie said.

“But the witch can’t be compelled. We struck a bargain—I would sleep with her a few more times and then she’d tell me where Ann was.”

Sophie stared at Anne for a moment, before bursting into laughter. “Oh mon dieu, how stupid do you think I am? And how long have I known you?” Sophie said. “She’s “making” you sleep with her for information? How can that be, when you can crush her throat with two of your fingers faster than she can whisper hocus-pocus? You slept with her because you wanted to, and you agreed to sleep with her again because you want to.”

“All right—you have a point,” Anne said grudgingly. “But I really did want to find Ann. I wanted to—settle things with her.”

“Yes, ma chouette—you’ve needed to do that for 100 years or so. Are you sure she knows where Ann is? Aside from your need for closure, we have an obligation to find her and make sure she’s safe. There are so few of us still—we blood drinkers must band together as best as we can—especially now that there are targets on our backs.”

“All right, so I’ve made a bit of a mess of this—so how do we approach this? Should we find out where Ann is first and make sure she’s safe, before we neutralize the witch threat?”

“Let's think about this. The witch is enamored of you…perhaps you will go to her, get her vulnerable, and when she’s caught up in the throes of your lovemaking, I can swoop in and choke the information out of her. She won’t be blackmailing me for a fuck,” Sophie said, with a glint in her eye. “But if as you say, she has a ‘thing’ for blood-drinkers, perhaps she’s not an enemy. Perhaps she might be an ally after all,” Sophie reasoned. “We must be careful in our approach.”

“Might there be a way for us to find Ann Walker without having to choke the information out of the witch. I’m worried about her. She’s such a loner, and it seems that she’s still alone, from what Sarah said.”

“A witch named Sarah—how very puritanical and original,” Sophie said, smirking. “I suppose you’re going to tell me she comes from the colonies.”

“Well, actually, she does have quite a unique accent. We didn’t get that far in our acquaintance as our attention was on more…pressing matters,” Anne said blushing.

“Focus, Anne. We don’t have a lot of time to waste. You know there are many other blood drinkers who live within a 500-mile radius of your home, and we must warn them.”

Sophie and Anne spent the next two nights building out their plan of action. They had to find Ann, neutralize the witch, notify about 25 vampires of the imminent threat, and enlist their assistance in finding the traitorous witches that were at the heart of their problem.

‘You know this is rather an ambitious plan, don’t you Sophie?” Anne said, slightly worried. “We have to move very fast so that the Sons of God aren’t on to what we’re doing.”

“That’s why we notify the vampires first—then we identify the witches that are nearby that are likely complicit and working with our enemies—then we will strike. Then the threat is gone, and we can feast on the entrails of the Sons of God, who will be utterly helpless without the witches,” Sophie said, her eyes darkening.

“It’s quite brutal, though,” Anne said. “Must we kill all the witches? What if some of them are not involved?” _What about Sarah? Will we have to kill her too?_ Anne thought, worriedly.

“This is who we are Anne. We are blood drinkers, and we apologize to no one for being who we are. When we are threatened, we strike fast and hard, and in such a way that frightens anyone else thinking of trying to harm us. We must make an example of these witches and the Sons of God. There is no room for squeamishness here. The preservation of our species is at stake.”

**Footnote Translations**

21 “My beautiful pussy cat, oh how I have missed you!”

22 “My god, have I not taught you better than that! Coupling with random supernatural beings before you know anything about them! You need to be careful, you impetuous fool!”


	16. Date Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Anne to meet Sarah for her date...and she gets a big surprise

The next evening, Sophie and Anne prepared themselves for their evening’s excursion. Sophie looked especially delicious, wearing an emerald green gown, with enough jewelry to make a queen blush. Her outfit was topped by a rich, dark red, velvet cape. Anne donned her smartest black suit, impeccably cut, with a long waist coat, and velvet lapels. She wore a top hat, gloves, and had her custom ‘walking stick’ in case things got rough.

“Are you certain you’ll be able to find your little witch friend, Anne? We need to be prepared for a trap. She may be in league with those vampire killers” Sophie said.

“We did make plans for this evening. I told her I would pick her up tonight for our first of several evenings that I ‘owe’ her before she divulges Ann’s location. And she’s quite keen on me, so yes, I’m fairly certain she will be there.”

“We will be prepared for anything tonight, mon Coeur,” Sophie replied confidently. “Let’s go over the plan one more time.”

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At exactly two hours after sunset, Anne’s carriage pulled up in front of Sarah’s apartment. She bounded out of the carriage and took the steps two at a time until she reached Sarah’s door. She wrapped on it with her walking stick and stood back, waiting for it to open. Several minutes went by, and Anne became worried—perhaps this really was a trap. Finally, Sarah came to the door, looking a bit flushed and out of breath.

“Well hi, handsome—you’re early,” Sarah said, trying to nonchalantly smooth her dress and put her hair back in order.

“Is this a bad time?” Anne asked, trying to sound concerned. “You seem—surprised, and not yourself.”

“Why don’t you wait downstairs. I’ll just be a few minutes and then I’ll be ready to go out,” Sarah said, going back into the room and sitting at her dressing table to fix her makeup and hair. She really did look out of sorts.

Anne stayed at the threshold of the room, sensing a trap. “If this is a bad time, we can do this another evening. You’re clearly in the middle of something, and I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“I had a surprise visitor, tonight—one who I couldn’t refuse,” Sarah said quietly.

“And who would that have been, hmm?” Anne asked, a tight smile crossing her lips.

“That would be me, Anne,” said a voice she hadn’t heard in well over 100 years.

Emerging from a dark corner of the room, Ann Walker appeared, ethereally beautiful, with her blond locks of hair, falling well past her shoulders, and a beautiful blue gown, perfectly accenting her eyes. Anne’s mouth went dry when she saw her, and she was completely speechless.

“It would seem we share the same taste in women—how interesting,” Ann said, stepping out and walking up to Anne boldly.

Anne stood up to her full height, and cleared her throat. “Hello Ann—it looks like the last century has treated you well,” she said smoothly. “I’m only here because your friend blackmailed me—I wanted to know where you were, and she wouldn’t tell me unless I spent several evenings with her—entertaining her. To be fair, I did ask her if you and she were finished completely, and she assured me that you were. I would never have trespassed otherwise. I’ve no need of encroaching on another blood-drinker’s mate.”

“Always chivalrous—it’s nice to see that some things don’t change,” Ann said, turning and walking towards where Sarah was sitting. “Would you like some help with your hair, my darling,” Ann said, as she dipped her head down to kiss Sarah’s neck.

“No thank you, Ann. I think the two of you have quite a bit to catch up on, and I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel,” Sarah said. “Besides, you tired me out quite a bit tonight—I don’t think I would be good company for Miss Lister.

“But I don’t want to talk with Miss Lister, darling,” Ann said sweetly. “I would rather stay here with you. Miss Lister and I don’t have anything to say to each other—what we had was a long time ago, and clearly we’ve both moved on, although perhaps we might have chosen the same woman.”

“Have we, Ann? Have we moved on?” Anne said hotly. “You offered me the gift, and then you didn’t wait long enough for me to make up my mind! I was going to say yes—I just needed a moment to decide.”

“A moment! It was three months, Anne. Three months of analyzing every angle, asking endless questions, posing various scenarios…each day that passed without your decision, a piece of my heart shattered. I finally left because I knew you were going to refuse me—you just didn’t know how to,” Ann said, turning towards Anne and facing her defiantly.

“You just left me—you didn’t leave me any way to get in touch with you. You broke my heart, Ann.”

“Well, then we are even, aren’t we?” Ann said. “And you’ve landed well—you found someone else to make you into a blood drinker. I’ll bet she’s gorgeous too, isn’t she?”

“Yes, ma chere, I’ve been called gorgeous--it’s true,” Sophie said, as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere and entered the room. “But Ann, you are stunning in your own right. I can see how you stole my Anne’s heart and shattered it into a million pieces. It took a very long time to put it back together, but I’ve done my best,” Sophie said, capturing Anne’s lips into a hot kiss that made Ann and Sarah turn away with embarrassment--jealousy. Anne melted, virtually powerless when Sophie turned her passion on her full-tilt.

“All right, this room is not big enough for all of this heartbreak and history,” Sarah said, rising from her chair. “None of this has anything to do with me. I just want to be left in peace. However you all sort it out is of no concern to me.”

“The pretty little witch is right, Anne. You and Ann need to talk this over. And I need to have a word with the pretty little witch,” Sophie said, a glint in her eye.

“What do you want with her?” Ann said, putting herself between Sarah and Sophie. “She’s done nothing to you—leave her alone.”

“Oh, you are so sweet and gentle and protective, Ann. How you have managed to live all these years and still maintain your naiveite is a mystery. There are things that you don’t know--things that can hurt you—and all of us,” Sophie said, walking closer to her. “Anne will tell you everything, and you two can bury the hatchet, so to speak. I have business with this witch that you can’t help me with, so if you would please leave with Anne, I would be grateful. It won’t take long, but it is important. Anne, take your lovely former lover to the carriage—I’ll find my own way back. Make sure she understands everything,” Sophie said pointedly.

“Yes, certainly. If you would please come with me,” Anne said, offering her arm for Ann to take.

Ann hesitated. She sensed something was going on, and that somehow, these two women were trying to protect her. Her instinct was to go with Anne, and find out what was going on. Sarah had been behaving very suspiciously all evening, so perhaps there was something more afoot. Making a split-second decision, Ann said, “Fine. I’ll go with you, and we’ll talk. Please lead the way.”

As the two women left and closed the door behind them, Sarah seemed very anxious and uncomfortable, to be left alone with Sophie. “Don’t worry, my dear. I don’t bite—all right, that’s a lie—I do, but that’s not what I’m here for. And from what I understand, you enjoy a little biting now and again, eh?” Sophie said teasing.

“What do you want, vampire?” Sarah said coldly, reaching for a shawl that was laid out on the bed.

“No, I don’t think so, Sarah,” Sophie said stopping her with her hand. “You’ll leave your little "charmed" shawl right there on the bed where it can’t help you. In fact,” Sophie said, “I’m already losing my patience with playing games. I want you to tell me everything you know about the Sons of God.”

“The what? Well, I know that the Christians think there is only one son of God, of course, but there’s a holy ghost in there somewhere. That’s the only Son of God I’ve heard of.”

“Funny, Sarah. Very funny. I don’t believe you. I think you are working with them, and that it was your plan to lure Anne into a trap so that the Sons of God could capture her and kill her,” Sophie said coldly.

“Why would I do that? I like Anne. And I love Ann Walker. I would never harm either of them,” Sarah said earnestly.

“Unfortunately, all I have is your word—and that’s simply not enough,” Sophie said. “I’m going to need to know who your contact is—who you have been working with—and you will need to take me to them immediately. And I need to know the name of every single witch you know who is working on their behalf.”

“I don’t have a contact that I’m working with, because I’m not working with anyone. But I do know who is working with them. And if I tell you their names, what’s in it for me?” Sarah asked, brazenly, her hand on her hip. “You’re asking me to betray my sister witches.”

“Your sister witches are foolish—they think that ridding the world of vampires will cleanse it of evil. But they don’t realize that the Sons of God won’t stop there. They want all supernatural beings extinguished. After the vampires, it will be the werewolves, and when they’ve eliminated that threat, who do you think the next supernatural species is that they will go for?” Sophie asked, giving Sarah a minute to process the information.

“If you help me find these witches—and if I can be assured that you have not worked with any of them to harm any vampires, then I will let you live,” Sophie said.

“That’s a lot of ifs,” Sarah said.

“The fate of the supernatural world is at stake, Sarah. What we do in the next few days could change the course of history—at least ours.”

“I want something else. I want you to make me a blood drinker,” Sarah said firmly.

Sophie laughed out loud. “Oh my chere, you are charming! You want me to turn a witch into a vampire—surely you have lost your mind! Why on earth would you want that, when you have so many of your own gifts. Witches are powerful beings in their own right. You would likely lose your powers to take on the new powers of vampire. And it’s not an easy life. You know all of this, so why am I telling you, and why on earth would you want this?”

“Because I keep falling in love with vampires, and when they offer me the gift--I want it—I really do! But what I don’t want is to belong to them forever—I don’t want to be possessed. I just want to be independent—self-reliant. And if I want to bed someone for a night, or a year, or a decade, that’s my decision. Ann has offered it to me, but if she’s my Maker, she would control me—she could compel me—she would want—everything.”

“And you’re not the type of woman who likes to be controlled, depended on, or needed like that—right?” Sophie asked, intrigued. “You surprise me, little witch. I like your spirit, and you are brave. You have stood up to me, woman to woman, powerful being to powerful being, and negotiated your terms. I respect that,” Sophie said. “I can give you no promises—but if you do indeed care for blood drinkers to the degree that you seem to--it might be safer if you were one of us—for all parties concerned. We can’t have you breaking our hearts, right and left, can we, ma chere?” Sophie said, walking into Sarah’s personal space and tipping her chin towards her.

“I don't know why you would think that, Miss…I didn’t catch your name?”

“Ferrall. Sophie Ferrall. Enchante, ma doux fille,” she said, as she brought her lips down to capture Sarah’s in a slow, sensuous and delicious kiss that lasted longer than she planned. _This little witch’s kisses are delicious…there’s something intoxicating about the scent of her blood—it’s a very potent elixir_ , Sophie thought.

As she released Sarah from the kiss, she saw Sarah stumble a bit, so she wrapped her arm around her and pulled her close, pressing their bodies together.

“What’s wrong, my dear?” Sophie asked, surprisingly concerned about the witch.

“That…that kiss. I’ve never felt anything like that before. It was like magic—and I do love magic,” Sarah said smiling and touching her lips with her fingertips, tracing where Sophie’s lips had just been.

“Oh, you are alluring, all right—you’ll have us all fighting over you like a pack of dogs before long,” Sophie said, amused. “But I’m not as easily wooed as some of your other conquests. And we have very serious business to attend to. Start making a list of the witches you know, and where we can find them. If we don’t move fast, it will be too late for all of us—and you won’t have anyone to toy with in your bed.”

“And that would be a shame,” Sarah said, depositing a soft kiss on Sophie’s cheek as she went over to her desk, took out a quill, ink and paper, and started writing a very long list of names. “Because I think I know who I want to toy with next.”

 _She has no idea who she is dealing with,_ Sophie thought. _She might find out if she’s not careful._


	17. Back to Ann's Place

Anne’s heart was racing, and she was trying desperately to summon the swagger that always seemed to in abundance when in the company of a beautiful woman. But this woman—this stunning, gorgeous, amazing, woman—was the one who got away. Trying to contain herself and her emotions, she took a deep breath and said, “Ann, I know that you and I have much to discuss about our past, and we will—if you want to—but there are more pressing matters that you need to know about. It’s why Sophie and I came here tonight—to find you.”

“But you didn’t know that I was here” Ann said. “And it seemed you had pre-arranged to meet with Sarah—a fact that she failed to mention when I came to her tonight.”

‘Well of course she wasn’t going to turn you away, Ann! You do know the poor thing is in love with you, don’t you?” Anne said hotly.

“You’re one to talk! I’d say that Parisian bordello owner only has eyes for you, ma chouette!” Ann spat back.

“Now listen—she’s no bordello owner, and I won’t allow you to insult Sophie. She’s my Maker, and she means a great deal to me,” Anne said firmly. “She just has a penchant for dressing very flashy—especially when she’s single, as it were.”

“She doesn’t look single to me—she looks like she belongs to you,” Ann said.

“Listen Ann, we can’t fight on the street like this—people will stare, and that’s the last thing we need. My carriage is here. Let’s get in and go for a ride, unless you have somewhere that we can talk in private.”

“I do. Come with me,” Ann said, taking Anne’s hand and, using their ability to travel faster than the eye can see, arrived at a small, but lovely house nestled in the woods, far from any random travelers.

“Is this your home?” Anne asked. “It’s quite lovely and quaint.”

“It’s just me. It’s always been just me. I eat, I sleep, I hunt, I read, I paint, and I brood. It doesn’t require a lot room to do those things.”

“So you’re still alone?” Anne asked softly.

“Yes, of course I am. I’m not flighty like you are. I don’t just give my heart away hither and yon, to anyone who wants a roll in the hay,” Ann said. “But we’re not here to talk about that—at least not yet. Come inside and I’ll pour some wine, and we will sit and talk like the old friends that we most assuredly are not, and you will tell me why you’ve come here to disturb my peace.”

_She’s quite angry with me—and I thought I was the one who had the right to be angry with her. Perhaps I’ve had it wrong all this time—she didn’t leave because she didn’t care about me—she left because she cared too much and was afraid I was going to hurt her._

Anne followed her hostess up the stairs, and through the front door, into Ann’s private sanctuary. And that’s exactly what it looked like—a sanctuary. It was cozy and tidy, and there were a number of comfortable-looking chairs one could easily curl up in and read in for an evening. There was a lovely fireplace, and a beautiful bay window that overlooked a garden. She had one room set up for her painting, and she had dozens of canvases stacked up against the walls—some seemed finished, some not. Her easel was set up, and there was a painting that Ann was working on that was covered with a sheet, which peaked Anne’s curiosity. “May I see?” she asked.

“No, you may not see. This isn’t a social visit, and my painting is private—it’s just for me. Don’t make me sorry I brought you here.”

“Right, let’s get to it then. Where would you like us to sit,” Anne asked.

Well, it’s not as though this place is big enough for a drawing room, so anywhere you want to is fine. I’ll just be a moment getting the wine,” Ann said, leaving the room to fetch the wine.

 _Oh yes, she’s angry. Perhaps I should simply focus on delivering the information about the Sons of God, and leave the rest to another time—if ever,_ Anne thought.

A few minutes later, Ann returned with two glasses of wine, and handed one to Anne. She then chose the chair that was the furthest away from Anne and sat down. “Now. Speak.”

“Fine. There is a group of individuals called the Sons of God. They’ve been working with witches to eliminate blood drinkers. So far, several dozen vampires have been killed by them, and the numbers will continue to rise unless we stop them,” Anne said.

“What have the witches got to do with this?” Ann asked, her brow furrowed with concern.

“Apparently, the Sons of God have enlisted the help of a number of witches—we don’t know how many—to be their allies in their efforts to extinguish blood drinkers from the face of the earth,” Anne explained. “It’s difficult to kill us, but we are all vulnerable to the sun. The witches somehow render us immobile, so that just before dawn, the Sons of God arrive and put us in the sun, and burn us to death.”

“Oh, that sounds horrible,” Ann said, shuddering. “And you’re sure the witches are helping? I know several, and I’ve not known them to hate our kind—quite the opposite, actually.”

Anne fought the urge to say something insulting about Ann’s clear penchant for attractive witches, and instead said, “That is the information that we have, and it’s the only thing that makes sense. How else would we be rendered powerless and immobile? Because we would have to be, in order to be dragged into the sun by mortal beings.”

“Yes, I suppose you’re right,” Ann agreed. “Is Sarah one of the witches helping these Sons of God people kill the vampires?”

“We don’t know. That’s what Sophie is going to find out. We need to know the names and locations of any witches that Sarah may know who are involved with this devious plot to kill us. And we need to warn all the vampires within 500 miles of us--and beyond if we can--and enlist their help to neutralize the witch threat,” Anne said. “And I hope for Sarah’s sake, she isn’t one of them. Sophie can be ruthless.”

“Says the woman who kills several humans each week just to survive,” Ann said, shaking her head, chuckling. “We’re all a bit ruthless, don’t you think?”

“Hmm…be that as it may, how well do you know Sarah? And before you get angry again, I’m not prying into your personal life. I just want to know if you feel she’s capable of participating in this plot,” Anne said.

“Honestly, I haven’t seen her in a number of months—before tonight that is,” Ann said. “We generally try to steer clear of each other. And I hadn’t planned to see her tonight--I just got lonely, I suppose.”

“I understand that feeling, Ann.”

“How could you? You have Sophie, and apparently Sarah too now, and however many other women you fuck when the mood strikes you,” Ann said bitterly.

“Before 3 nights ago, I’d not been with anyone in 2 years. I saw Sarah, and she let me know she was available, and, yes, I fucked her. And I liked it, all right?” Anne said angrily. “And Sophie and I ended our relationship a number of years ago. We still see each other, and we are like family, but she’s taken a new mate, and I guess I have feelings about that, so no, I don’t go around seducing women whenever I feel like it. I don’t have the heart for it, I suppose,” Anne said sadly.

“Well, we’re a pair, aren’t we,” Ann said, getting up to retrieve the bottle of wine and refill their glasses.

When she returned, she said, “I apologize for turning our conversation personal again. I’m clearly unresolved where my feelings for you are concerned. There’s quite a bit of anger and jealousy, and at the same time, you are sitting in my chair, in my house, right where I’ve imagined you a thousand times--looking all handsome and dashing. And it’s confusing me.”

“I’m sorry, Ann. I really am. And I promise you, everything you are saying, I can say the same. I am very, very conflicted where you are concerned, and I’ve no right to be. You were never really mine. You only let me have you for a short while. But might we return to the topic of whether you think Sarah is capable of participating in a plot to kill all the vampires?”

“Is she capable, yes. Is she an active participant in the plot—I just don’t know, but my instincts say no. Although she was very nervous tonight,” Ann said.

“Well, that could be because I was supposed to show up 2 hours after sunset to pick her up for our ‘date’,” Anne reasoned. “She might have just been nervous about the two of us running into each other, or being caught with her hand in 2 cookie jars.”

Ann smirked. “Yes, perhaps it was that. So the answer is, I just don’t know. And I think you and I are both biased a bit when it comes to Sarah. Perhaps Sophie is the best person to get the truth out of her. Because if she was trying to kill us all, then she was plotting against you, and me, more than likely.”

“Regardless of whether Sarah is involved or not, will you help us Ann? We have to warn all the vampires in our area of the threat, get the names of all the witches that they know of—then we’ll need to spread out and eradicate the threat—decisively, and all at once if possible. Once we strike, they’ll know we are onto them and they will go underground. We want to leave the Sons of God defenseless, but first, we need to get rid of the witches who are helping them first.”

“Yes, of course I will. I have a number of vampire friends around here—I’m not the complete loner you might suppose me to be. My maker actually doesn’t live terribly far away and she knows hundreds of blood drinkers—if we get her involved, we will be able to strengthen our numbers far beyond what we might have done on our own,” Ann explained.

“That’s brilliant, love—thank you!” Anne said excitedly. “And I promise you—we will deal with our past. I think we both need and deserve that, don’t you?”

“Yes. On that we can agree,” Ann said, finishing her wine.

“Ann, will you come with me to my home now? We have plenty of time to get there, and I’m certain that Sophie is back by now. We’ll need to set off tomorrow to start warning the other vampires. Hopefully, she has a list or witches as well. We can divide and conquer, so we can get in touch with as many blood drinkers as possible,” Anne explained.

“Do you think she’ll have Sarah with her?” Ann asked. “I really do care for her, even though she’s infuriatingly independent.”

“Possibly. If she thinks she’s valuable to us, and not a threat. We will have to see. But if she is part of this—make no mistake—Sophie will kill her without a moment’s hesitation.”

“Well, she would deserve it, I suppose,” Ann said sadly. “Come on—take me to your home. I’ll just put a few things in a bag and I’ll be ready to go.”


	18. Honey, we're home!

Sophie had already returned with her carriage by the time they arrived. Ann’s heart was in her throat. She wasn’t certain she’d made the right decision to leave Sarah in Sophie’s hands, but it was too late now. And she’d find out soon enough what Sarah’s fate was.

“Sophie? Darling, where are you?” Anne called out.

“We’re in the sitting room,” Sophie replied, and as the two women rounded the corner and entered the room, they were shocked to see Sophie—and Sarah—enjoying a bottle of champagne and sitting much too close to one another, in Anne’s opinion.

“How did you two make out with your ‘discussion’, hmmm? Did you kiss and make up yet? There’s nothing like make-up sex—especially after an absence of a century. Was it good for you, mon Coeur?” Sophie asked.

“Sophie, no…it wasn’t…we didn’t…ermh, may I speak to you in private for a moment, darling,” Anne asked, her eyes sparkling with anger.

“But it would be rude to leave our guests unattended. And dear Ann needs a glass of champagne, don’t you darling?” Sophie said, all but ignoring Anne’s pointed glare.

“You two will be fine on your own, I’m sure. Ann, there are more champagne glasses in the breakfront. Please help yourself and we will be back in a few minutes,” Anne said, as she went over to Sophie and extended her hand to help her up from the sofa.

“So bossy,” Sophie said, leaning over to kiss Anne’s cheek. “I like it.”

Anne all but dragged Sophie down the hall, and into the library, and shut the door behind them. “What are you up to, Sophie? I thought you were immune to the little witch’s charms? I thought we had to stay focused on what our mission was—that the fate of the vampire race depends entirely on what we do in the next few days. And I come home and I find you cuddled up next to that witch—who, by the way—I wish I’d never laid eyes on!”

“Are you finished, ma chouette?” Sophie asked, sitting down and arranging her skirt around her.

“Not at all, but if you have anything to say for yourself, now is an excellent time,” Anne said, willing herself to calm down.

“Come sit here, next to me,” Sophie said, patting the spot next to her. Wordlessly, Anne complied. “I realize that tonight must have been quite a shock for you—seeing Ann Walker, the woman you’ve kept on a pedestal for more than a century—in the flesh. And from what I gather, she is quite angry with you. Were you able to work through any of your differences this evening?”

“No, we did not. She is very, very angry, which I find very interesting, since she is the one who left me behind without a word. I suppose there are 3 sides to every story—mine, hers and the truth is somewhere between the two. She hurled a few insults here and there, but I tried not to engage and remained focused on our mission—just as you ordered me to,” Anne said. “She agreed to help us with our witch problem. And, she said her Maker lives nearby, and knows hundreds of vampires—she’s sure she can get her to help in rounding them all up and enlisting them in our plan.”

“That’s excellent, Anne! All of that, and you managed not to tumble into bed with your Miss Walker,” Sophie said. “It’s quite impressive, actually.”

“Tumbling her was the last thing on my mind—and she’s so angry, it would be like trying to bed a porcupine,” Anne said. “But enough about me and Ann—what in the hell were you getting up to with Sarah? She hasn’t slept with enough women who are currently in this house, so you had to add yourself to her list of conquests? I’m disappointed, Sophie. This isn’t like you.”

“That’s my smart girl! You’re right—it isn’t like me. So what could I possibly be up to?” Sophie said coyly.

“You’re just playing with her?” Anne said incredulously. “You aren’t trying to get her into bed?”

“Well, let’s not go that far—but I do know how to wait for what I want, because waiting makes it all the more delicious,” Sophie said. “In truth, she’s just not that interesting or intelligent. Yes, she’s beautiful, but she apparently shares her favors with every vampire around, and that’s not the stuff that a companion is made of. She is simply a pleasant distraction, and a means to getting the information that we need. Right now, I’m playing a role—I want her to think that she has me in her thrall, and that I’ll do anything she asks me to do. Meanwhile, while she’s distracted with her attraction to me, I’m trying to discern if she’s telling the truth, or leading us into a trap.”

“Well has she given you any valuable information?” Anne asked.

“Possibly, but there is no way to be sure. She gave me a list of names of witches that she believes are involved with the Sons of God. And she has repeatedly denied having anything to do with them herself. She claims she loves blood drinkers too much to every betray them, or to want them eliminated,” Sophie explained.

“She gave you a list of possible collaborators, hmmm? Ann says she know a lot of witches—perhaps she could look at the list and verify some of their names at least,” Anne said.

“So she knows a lot of witches. She has a preference, perhaps? Well, my goodness, if that’s true then she and Sarah were made for one another,” Sophie said. “Sarah is terribly in love with Ann, but she’s a free spirit—she doesn’t want to be tied down to anyone. She wants freedom to be with whomever she chooses without having to be tied down to anyone. She actually asked me to give her the Gift. She’s wanted it for a long time, but she doesn’t want it from Ann—she thinks that will give her the power to control her.”

“What makes her think that?” Anne said, puzzled. “You made me, and you don’t control me. Except of course, for the fact that I usually go along with whatever you want—that way, you aren’t forced to compel me.”

“No, it would not feel right to do that. I have always treated you as my equal, but perhaps sometimes you haven’t felt that way. Have I ever abused my so-called power over you?” Sophie asked.

“I’ve always felt that we both have power over each other because we love each other to the very depths of our beings—which means that we can hurt each other terribly,” Anne said, sadly.

“You’re thinking about Yvan, aren’t you?” Sophie asked.

“I should have told you how much it hurt me. I should have told you how much I wanted to stay with you,” Anne said, a tear escaping her eye. “I never cared when we took different lovers for a night or two—but you wanted Yvan for a mate. That was different. And, well, I didn’t want to be with someone who wasn’t always going to put me first. I didn’t want to stand in line for your attention.”

“My poor darling,” Sophie said, as she gently pulled Anne into her arms and comforted her while her tears continued to fall. “I was selfish, and foolish, and I cannot believe that I didn’t see the truth behind your brave face.”

“Because you were in love, and you couldn’t see anything, Sophie. Anyone could see that,” Anne said gently. “And I knew you loved me and that you would do so forever—but you’d let another one into your heart, and it was too crowded for me—I had to leave.”

“Yes, I can see that you thought you had no choice,” Sophie said. “Oh, Anne—I’m so terribly sorry. I hope that you can forgive my foolishness. I promise, I will spend eternity making it up to you, darling.”

“You don’t need to, Sophie. I’m all right about it now, for the most part. I know you love me. And I also know you well enough to know that with Yvan out of the picture, you are hoping to get back together with me again—as your life mate, rather than your occasional bedmate.”

“Guilty, I’m afraid,” Sophie said. “I have been very unhappy with Yvan. For a few years, it was lovely, but it wore off quickly. He was not as intelligent and charming as you are. He wasn’t someone to have hours and hours of conversation with over a few bottles of wine. He was—well, boring. And I cannot believe I was stupid enough to give you up for him. That’s been the biggest mistake of my life, and I’d like the chance to fix it, if you will allow me the chance.”

“I think we both agree we have a lot to talk about with regards to our path forward. But for the moment, let’s focus on what’s important right now—showing the list of witches to Ann to see if she recognizes anyone. We’ll need to get Sarah out of the room while she looks at it—in fact, I don’t want her near any of our plans—I don’t really trust her,” Anne said.

“Agreed. She’s playing all sorts of games with us. Let’s peel the two of them off of each other--I’ll distract Sarah, while you and Anne look at the list together. She should be able to see if it’s genuine, or we’ve been thrown a red-herring,” Sophie said.


	19. How do you know she's a witch?

Anne and Sophie went back to the room where they’d left Ann and Sarah, and were not shocked to find Sarah, knees on the sofa, straddling Ann’s lap, groping her bodice while the two of them kissed passionately. The two just stood in the doorway and watched the show for a few minutes. ““My God watching them go at it is making me very hot. It seems a shame to interrupt them, doesn't it? Perhaps we could watch for a little while longer--they're bound to come up for air eventually,” Sophie whispered in Anne’s ear. 

”Ahem,” Anne said, trying to get the attention of the amorous couple. “I say, excuse us!” Anne said, louder, earning her a glare from Sarah, and a giggle from Ann.“

“Dear Anne—such a spoil-sport,” Sophie said, gliding into the room and locating her glass of champagne. “It was just getting interesting, n’est ce pas? Ann, you were about to dive under Sarah’s skirts, and perhaps have a taste of her neck, yes? Oh….so sexy…I could watch you two go at it for a long time.”

“Sophie, that’s quite enough. And you two—please control yourselves—at least until we verify the information Sarah has given Sophie,” Anne said firmly, as the two women reluctantly separated and sat on the sofa next to each other.

“Ann, if you would be so kind as to join me in the library. We’ll look at the list of names, and see if anyone sounds familiar to you,” Anne said.

“And you, my dear, tasty little witch, will stay with me,” Sophie said, making her way over to the sofa. “Perhaps the two of us can pick up where we left off before they came home and spoiled the fun. Or, if you prefer, we can pick up where you and Ann left off—especially since you two were much further along than we were,” Sophie said wickedly, as Sarah blushed.

“Sarah!” Ann shouted, startling them all. “You cannot bed every woman in this house tonight—surely two out of three is sufficient! And Sophie, if you would do me the courtesy, as a fellow blood-drinker, to leave my mate alone, I would appreciate it.”

“I am NOT your mate!” Sarah yelled.

“Which is it Sarah? Are you desperately in love with me, or are you completely unable to have a committed relationship with one person?” Ann asked.

“I can have a committed relationship—but mate is a very strong word and implies longevity and permanence. And I’m…well, you know…a free spirit,” Sarah explained.

“All right, enough!” Anne shouted, getting everyone’s attention. “No one is going to be carrying on with anyone for the next 20 minutes. Sophie, find some way to entertain our guest Sarah that does not involve touching each other, kissing each other, or in any way taking off each other’s clothing. We’ll be back. We have serious business to attend to.”

“But Anne, if Sarah’s list is fraudulent, I’ll have to kill her. And I just wanted to have a little taste before that happens,” Sophie said pouting.

“You can both have a turn with her before you kill her for all I care—if she agrees, of course. But please wait until we know if the list is genuine,” Anne said, turning on her heel and walking out of the room, with Ann following behind her.

As they entered the library, Anne closed the door behind her--she was fairly fuming. “So she comes back here, saying she’s made a mistake and wants me back, and she can’t keep her hands off of that whorish witch!” Anne said angrily.

“Watch you mouth,” Ann said. "I happen to love that whorish witch.”

“Well your taste has certainly gone down-hill” Anne replied.

“Oh, and you think that cheap French trollop is an upgrade from me? Ha! That’s rich. I’m surprised you don’t gag on her overpowering perfume—it’s enough to wake the dead,” Ann said.

“All right, this is not getting us anywhere. We’ll need to try to curb our anger towards our respective—well, whatever they are to us—and focus on this list,” Anne said, handing the list to Ann and watching as she read through the 30 or so names.

“Well, I know for certain that 20 of the names on this list are witches. The other 10 very well could be. I’m behind on my witch of the month subscription,” Ann dead-panned.

“Do you know any of them well enough to know if they’re capable of wanting to eradicate vampires from the face of the earth?” Anne asked.

“Well, it’s not as though that sort of topic comes up in intimate conversations,” Ann said, batting her eyes at Anne.

“Not you too, Ann. Please focus,” Anne said, shaking her head _. I feel like a bloody school teacher trying to wrangle a bunch of over-sexed teenagers._

“Fine—yes, all of the witches I know on this list are powerful and capable of helping the Sons of God. What I don’t know is if they’re willing, or motivated to do so,” Ann said.

“Wait—what if the witches are doing it against their will?” Anne wondered. “Perhaps they are being blackmailed into helping the Sons of God with their scheme.”

“I don’t know about that Anne. I know a lot of witches, and they have some commonalities, including a fierce streak of independence. They don’t do anything they don’t want to do—ever. I don’t know what they could be blackmailed with.”

“Mmm…you’re probably right. Is anyone on this list considered a ring-leader, or influential?”

“Well, there’s one witch—Isabella—she’s the priestess of their coven. They come together once a month under the light of the full moon for an old-fashioned naked, pagan ritual.”

“Oh that’s perfect—we could catch them all in one fell swoop! Do you happen to know when the next full moon is?” Anne asked.

“I believe it’s in 6 days.”

“That’s excellent—it will give us enough time to warn the other vampires, and pull a large group together to take them out in one fell swoop,” Anne said, excitedly. “Do you know where they meet?”

“Yes, I do,” Ann said, starting to feel incredibly guilty. “But Anne, what if they’re innocent. Then we’ll have slaughtered them without cause! What if this is how the Sons of God are really trying to get rid of all the supernatural creatures—by turning us against each other?”

“You raise an excellent point. If they are innocent, and we slaughter them, the remaining witches, if they are sufficient in number, will put targets on our backs, and then the Sons of God will have fewer witches, and fewer vampires, until we end up killing each other off entirely. We should discuss this with Sophie,” Anne said, heading for the doorway.

“Wait, Anne—we need to include Sarah too. I think we can trust her,” Ann said.

“Trust her? Are you joking? She’s probably got her tongue all the way up my…well…Sophie’s queer by now, so no, I don’t trust her.”

“I’m not talking about trusting her with your partner, but trusting her in that she can be our ally in this effort. She doesn’t want to see innocent witches slaughtered, but if they’re guilty of killing vampires?” Ann said. “I just don’t think she would take their side. She’s quite fond of our species.”

“Yes. I think you may be right. Let’s see if Sophie concurs—then we can put our thinking caps on and plan for our next steps.”

“Anne, do you have a place where I’ll be able to stay for the night? If not, I should head back to my house so I can get out of the light—sunrise is in less than 90 minutes,” Anne said.

“I have a guest suite that I’m sure you’ll find more than suitable. And you’re welcome to share your bed with Sarah if you like. But I’m a bit worried that she’ll bewitch you and manage to escape,” Anne said truthfully.

“If I’m being honest, I would never be able to hold her against her will,” Ann confessed. “She has a way of getting what she wants from me. So what shall we do? She’s too valuable to allow her to escape.”

Anne was silent for a moment while she pondered her options. “I could shackle her, in a make-shift windowless dungeon. And I could put two guards on her.”

“Anne! Is that necessary? Surely either you or Sophie could guard her adequately? She’s not an animal!” Ann said.

“She is NOT sleeping with Sophie, and that’s my final answer,” Anne said, her jaw set firmly.

Ann cocked her eyebrow and stared at the fuming vampire. “Anne, you are so jealous you have smoke coming out of your ears! What are you so worried about? Don’t you trust Sophie?”

“Well, yes—I do. But still, something about that witch has tickled her fancy, and I don’t like it one bit,” Anne said. “And technically, we are on a break. A twenty-year break, but a break none the less.”

“I think even for vampires, 20 years would be considered longer than a break,” Ann said gently. “She really broke your heart, didn’t she?”

“Ann, please. I find myself in the supremely awkward position of having 3 women, all of whom I have been intimate with, under my roof tonight. So the sleeping arrangements are going to be a bit of a challenge.”

“Yes, you poor darling. I can see you are in a bit of a pickle. So which one of us will you choose to bed tonight?” Ann said, trying not to smile. “The one that got away, the love of your life, or the flavor of the month?”

“I’m tempted to put everyone in the same room so I can keep all of you on a leash,” Anne said, and when she caught Ann’s raised eyebrow, back-pedaled. “Err…not an actual leash of course, because we’re not here for our own pleasures right now. I thought we were supposed to be saving the vampires from extinction, but all anyone can think of is climbing up that tarty-witch’s skirts!”

Ann slowly walked towards the angry woman, stood directly in front of her and looked into her eyes. “One would think, with the way you are carrying on, that you’re angry and jealous that no one is trying to climb into your trousers,” she said as she slowly ran her finger-tip down the front of Anne’s button down shirt, all the way to the waist band of her pants, and hooked her finger there.

Anne swallowed uncomfortably, and suddenly the room felt very hot. _Don’t do it Lister—don’t! Your life is complicated enough already with Sophie here and wanting to get back together. And, well, you don’t really know how you feel about Ann. Right now, of course, you can’t control the certain physiological process happening to your body, but this is NOT the way to resolve your feelings about her! Steady on!_

“Ann, what are you doing? I thought you were in love with the tarty-witch?” Anne asked, summoning every bit of reserve she had, trying not to move a muscle towards Ann.

“You and I share a painful past. And it seems we have many unresolved feeling between us. We could try to talk it out…or, there’s a much simpler way to get on the same level and resolve things amicably,” Ann said, stroking Anne’s cheek and placing her hand on her hip. “The tension in your body is palpable. You are literally telegraphing your feelings. You’re angry, and aroused, and jealous, and that’s a heady combination…mon Coeur…”

Anne had been lulled by this beautiful creature’s soft, sultry and hypnotic voice, and her body was melting into a puddle of heat and arousal. Until Ann’s mocking tone came sharply into focus.

“Oh, that’s bloody low Ann—even for you!” Anne said, grabbing her wrist, and pushing her away from her body. “Were you always this cruel and calculating, or did 120 years dim my memory? Thank goodness I have a journal I can read whenever I like, and relive the massive pain and crushing blow you dealt me when you left without a word. You are reminding me that you did me a tremendous favor by leaving me all those years ago. If I’d stayed with you, I’d have been tied forever to a malicious, lonely and bitter woman. Instead, I was rescued from heartbreak by a woman who knows how to love me--all of me.”

“Oh yes, she must love you very much to leave you for a man! Nothing says love like, ‘I’m tired of your lovemaking, so would you mind getting out of my bed so I can mount this young stud instead? Oh, and by the way, get your things and move out please, there’s a love’,” Ann said fuming. “You seem to have a dim memory of your relationship with the French whore as well. It couldn’t have been that epic of a love story if she left you for a man and when he was through with her, she came sauntering back to you, full of false promises and swaying hips.”

“You’ve got no right to say anything to me about Sophie—no right at all. At least I am loved. By someone who can admit her mistakes. But you’ve got your heart invested in a whore with very little shame—I should know because I fucked her thoroughly. Did she make you pay to fuck her Ann? Or does she give it to you for free because she’s a blood slut? She has you running back to her over and over again, but she won’t even consider being your mate because she knows you’ll try to control her!”

Ann’s face fell. “What?” she said shakily. “Did she say that to you? How would you know that?”

“She asked Sophie to give her the Gift. She wants it—she just doesn’t want it from you,” Anne said, not in the least bit sorry she just ripped a scab off Ann’s heart.

Ann was silent, and turned her back, walking towards the window. Anne stood her ground, watching her as she tried to stifle her sobs. _I never could stand to see a woman cry,_ Anne thought, as she crossed the room and put her hand on Ann’s shoulder. “There, there. It’ll all work out the way it’s supposed to—regardless of what you or she want. That’s how the universe works,” Anne said, lowering her hand and rubbing a circular patter on the still-crying woman’s back.

“I’m sorry. I’m very bad at love, and even worse at ending relationships. I just don’t—they never, ever end for me. I relive every moment, day after day after day, and I brood and I never allow my heart a moment’s peace. At least with Sarah, I had someone new to grieve, and she crowded you out. I do—I love her—and I don’t want her to leave me. I want her forever. Because I can’t bear to be alone, and yet I run from love or I chase it away from me or I take it into a death grip and choke it. In short, I’m a mess,” Ann said, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

“We’re all foolish about love, now aren’t we? We make decisions we wish we hadn’t and we don’t take the chances that we wish we did. We either waltz around with our heart on our sleeve, or hide it away, keeping it protected from all harm. But a heart needs to be seen. Needs to be loved. You cannot hide from pain—no matter how much you want to. Ann, darling, you need to find some peace.” 

“I suppose you’re right. We should stop this and get back to the others. I’m sure you and I will have plenty of time to hurl insults at each other and cry later. For now, we have to figure out where we’re going to sleep tonight, and tomorrow, we need to warn the other vampires,” Ann said, collecting herself. “I assume you have only two darkened chambers available to sleep in. If neither Sophie or I can be trusted with Sarah, that means that you’ll have to sleep with her—and I’ll sleep with Sophie,” Ann said, looking nervous. “And honestly, that just seems—very awkward, to say the least.”

“If you’re insistent that we can’t lock Sarah up in the dungeon, it’s really the only choice. I’ll sleep with Sarah, and you’ll sleep with Sophie. I trust her not to touch you. That would be unforgivable, and she knows that. And if it eases your mind, I promise I won’t lay a finger on Sarah unless she tries to escape,” Anne said.

“I’m not quite sure I trust you, Anne, but we’ve both been with Sarah, and she makes her own choices. I have no control over my feelings for her, but perhaps you do. And I have a feeling that she’s not the one you want tonight. And yes, of course you can trust me with Sophie. She simply isn’t my type,” Ann said chuckling.

 _What the hell does that mean_ , Anne thought fuming as the two of them went to find Sophie and Sarah.


	20. Did you miss me?

When they returned to the sitting room, they found Sarah, passed out, and Sophie, nursing the remains of her champagne. “Oh thank goodness you’re back!” Sophie exclaimed. “This one can’t keep up with me.”

“I’ll trust you didn’t do anything to tire her out?” Ann said, gritting her teeth.

“Non. Absolument pas. I am a woman of my word. Your beloved indulged in too much champagne and promptly passed out.”

“Lovely,” Anne grumbled. “Well, Ann and I reviewed the list, and it looks to be genuine, so the witch can live for another day or two—unless we find out she’s betrayed us. Ann, why don’t you pick her up and I’ll have my houseman show you where she’ll be sleeping. Perhaps you can get her ready for bed while I have a few words with Sophie about what we discussed. We’ll be down in a bit.”

“It would be my pleasure,” Ann said as she scooped up the witch effortlessly, and carried her bride style, following Anne’s servant to one of the sleeping chambers. “And please—do take your time. If she wakes up, it may take me a little while to tuck her in properly.”

“Indeed,” Anne said, under her breath.

“What did she say—are they really witches, or is she playing games?” Sophie asked.

“Ann was able to identify 20 names on the list as witches. And apparently, there’s a priestess of their coven—a woman named Isabella. They meet every full moon as a group, somewhere secluded in the woods. It will be the perfect place for us to launch our assault,” Anne said.

“And she knows where they meet?” Sophie said incredulously. “She really is on intimate terms with these witches if they share all their secrets with her.”

“Apparently. We were wondering though, if perhaps the Sons of God are not trying to pit the vampires against the witches by making us think they are plotting against us. What if that’s just a rumor they are spreading to make us distrust one another? Then we start killing each other and soon, the Sons of God have won their battle and they won’t have had to lift a finger,” Anne explained.

“While that is of course, plausible, it is a bit far-fetched. Let’s just stick with our plan.”

“But if we slaughter innocent witches, we will make enemies of them all, and they will set out in earnest to kill us—regardless of what the Sons of God want them to do,” Anne said.

“That’s a chance I’m willing to take, and one you should be willing to take too. I will not put the life of a witch above one of my own kind, and if it puts a target on my back, well, so be it. We’re hard to kill when we are on high alert, don’t you agree?” Sophie asked.

“You make a very good point there. All right—you’ve convinced me. Now, about the sleeping arrangements tonight,” Anne started, not quite sure how to break the news to her.

“Yes, ma chouette. I’m looking forward to lying with you,” Sophie said, as she rose from her seat and made her way over to Anne. “Watching your former lover and her witch go at it with each other—well, let’s just say I’m still in a state, and I need your inimitable skills to take care of me,” Sophie said, taking Anne’s lips into a passionate kiss. Reluctantly breaking away, Anne said, “About that. We discussed it, and I’m going to sleep with Sarah, and you’ll sleep with Ann.”

Sophie stared at Anne for exactly one, long, uncomfortable minute. “You want me to sleep with that morceau de merde23 who broke your heart? You have got to be joking.”

“You’ve proved my point. The two of you are civil in public, but underneath it all, you loathe each other. Which means, you won’t…you know…take care of each other’s needs,” Anne said uncomfortably.

“You wound me, ma chere. I would never, ever trespass on your feelings like that. I know better than anyone how she broke your heart. Touching her is absolutely unthinkable—I would never hurt you in that cruel way,” Sophie said.

“And I know that. And I trust you 100%. And you can trust me with the witch,” Anne said.

“I don’t care if you have sex with the witch. She means nothing to you, and her heart is committed to Ann Walker. But Ann would care very much if you fucked her. And she wouldn’t recover from that betrayal, would she?” Sophie asked.

“No, I don’t suppose she would, but that’s not why I won’t touch her. It’s simple—I don’t want you in the same bed with the witch tonight—period—end of discussion,” Anne said firmly.

“Why on earth not? If I sleep in the same bed with the witch, that sets you and your long-lost love up for a night of passion,” Sophie said, affecting an air of indifference. “Hasn’t that been on your mind since you’ve seen her again?”

“I have no desire to share a bed with Ann. As a matter of fact, I would much rather share my bed with you,” Anne said, biting her lip and meeting Sophie’s gaze.

“So I’m not the only one who’s a bit wound up, eh?” Sophie asked, grabbing Anne by the front of her shirt and slamming her up against the wall. Sophie captured Anne’s lips in a deep, searing kiss and trapped her body by pressing tightly up against her. A moan escaped Anne, and she frantically pulled at Sophie’s skirt, trying to raise it. “No, no, my love…you first,” Sophie said as her fangs appeared and she sank her teeth into Anne’s neck while she roughly fondled her breasts. A shocking amount of wetness pooled between Anne’s legs, and all she wanted was to feel her lover’s hands on her to relieve the ache that plagued her. She quickly unbuttoned her trousers and let them fall to the floor. She grabbed Sophie’s hand and pulled it down towards her queer where she needed it most. Sophie was happy to oblige and slid two fingers inside of Anne, while her thumb drove into her clit. “So wet, ma belle fille—it has been an exciting evening, hasn’t it?” Sophie said, adding a third finger and driving into Anne with her powerful thrusts. “Oh comment tu m'as manqué mon bel amour”24 Anne’s hips bucked towards the hand that was bringing her such pleasure, desperate for her release. She was lost and under the spell of Sophie’s magical touch—one that she’d missed more than she could ever admit or explain. “No one, no one like you, darling,” Anne moaned. “I’m close—please!” Sophie continued fucking Anne and hitting her clit with every stroke in just that perfect spot, sending Anne into a place where nothing was going to keep her from her climax. She enjoyed those few precious moments of peace, before her body imploded in ecstasy, then clung to Sophie while they rode out her orgasm together. Sophie barely had enough time to pull her fingers out before Anne switched places with her and knelt down at her feet, while Sophie gathered up her skirts and pulled them out of the way, so that Anne could do what she did best. Anne ripped Sophie’s underclothes off and tossed them to the side, as her face found its way to the wet heat that it needed. Sophie slammed her head against the wall and wrapped one leg around Anne’s shoulder to give her better access to her ‘chatte’. Anne’s moans were making Sophie even wetter than she thought was possible. With every stroke of Anne’s practiced tongue, Sophie thought nothing could feel better than this…until three fingers found their way inside her. Sophie grabbed onto Anne’s head and pushed it close to her clit and Anne took the hint and sucked it into her mouth, and with the tip of her tongue, licked Sophie’s very favorite spot—over and over and over again, driving Sophie mad with the need to come. “Please mon Coeur—now,” and Anne drove her fingers inside, stroking her faster and harder while her mouth sucked on her clit mercilessly. Sophie let out a moan loud enough for the entire household to hear, as her pleasure peaked and broke free. Anne grinned while she continued to lick Sophie’s pussy of every drop of nectar, staying with her until the spasms died down. Sophie lowered her leg and pulled Anne to her feet and they stood together, holding on to each other like they never wanted to let go. They were quiet for a few minutes, relaxing in the afterglow of their passion.

“That was amazing,” they said in unison and broke into laughter. “No, really Anne—that was so beautiful. I’ve missed you so very much—and the thought of not being with you tonight—well, it was too much to bear, so I had to take matters into my own hands.”

“I’m glad that you did,” Anne said, softly kissing her lips, and releasing a sigh. “I needed you as well, my darling. Now as lovely as this was, I need to go see to my other guests.”

“Well, I hope you don’t see to them the same way you just saw to me,” Sophie said, her eyes darkening.

“Oh, so you are capable of jealousy?” Anne said smiling. “I’m glad I’m not the only one. And you have nothing to worry about, my dear. I’m sure we will all sleep peacefully—like the dead.”

“I swear your jokes get worse every time I see you,” Sophie said, shaking her head.

Translation:

23 piece of shit

24 “Oh, how I have missed you, my handsome love.”


	21. Bedtime Shenanigans

Anne and Sophie held hands as they walked down to the lower level where the vampire-approved light blocked sleeping chambers were located. “Must you sleep with that bête coquine25?” Sophie said pouting prettily.

“Yes, my darling, I’m afraid I must. And you must sleep with le petite cactus en colère,”26 Anne said chuckling.

“Truthfully, though, you can trust me not to touch her, ahem--feminine charms--such as they are. But if Ann decides to tangle with me over Sarah’s honor, or your honor for that matter, I won’t stand for it. I’ve been around this world a lot longer than she has and I’m much nastier than she could ever hope to be,” Sophie said, her voice slightly menacing.

“There’s no need of that, surely, my darling? You are both just sharing a bed to sleep—that’s all. You needn’t exchange a word with each other,” Anne explained, trying to de-escalate the situation. “We’ve just made beautiful love together after a long absence, and I, personally feel completely satisfied—don’t you?”

“Oui, c’est vrai,” Sophie agreed. “Truly, we all just need to rest—we need to map out our route tomorrow quickly, then set off and see how many vampires we can locate and encourage to take up our cause. I don’t think it will be a hard sell—it’s in their own best interests. Now, which room am I in?” Sophie asked.

“Whichever one Sarah is not in,” Anne replied curtly as she opened the door to her chamber. When she got to the second door, she rapped on it sharply. “Ann, are you in there with Sarah? And are you decent?”

“Spoilsport,” Sophie muttered.

“Yes, you may enter,” Ann called out, and Sophie and Anne crossed the threshold to find a very passed out Sarah, and a love sick Ann Walker lying next to her.

“Right, well, I’ll sleep here with Sarah, and Ann, if you would please come this way, I’ll show you where you and Sophie are sleeping.” Ann kissed Sarah on the check, and joined the other two women as they walked into the room next door, which was almost identical in construction to Anne’s chamber. “Now, Ann, your bag is here, and of course, Sophie has her belongings here already. I’m sure you’ll have all that you need. So play nice, sleep well, and for heaven’s sake, please behave yourselves,” Anne implored. Before leaving the room, she kissed Sophie’s lips—slowly, passionately, and thoroughly, while Ann looked on with her mouth hanging open. “Sleep well, my darling, and I will see you tomorrow,” Anne said, taking her leave.

“Yes, you will and I cannot wait,” Sophie said, delighted that Anne—usually not terribly fond of public displays of affection—gave her such a possessive kiss on her lips in front of the woman who left her, all those years ago. “Which side of the bed do you prefer, Ann?” Sophie asked politely.

“I don’t have a preference. Whatever you decide is fine.”

“Well, I’m fine with the right side, so why don’t you take the left.”

“Splendid. I’ll just go find my nightgown and take care of a few things—I’ll be back in a few moments,” Ann said.

As Ann splashed water on her face, and applied lotion, she tried to steel herself for what could be a very trying night. _What’s the worst thing Sophie could do to me?_ Ann thought. _Try to seduce me? I might actually like to see her try—I don’t think she is accustomed to being refused._

Unwilling to torment herself with what might be about to happen, Ann finished and returned to the sleeping chamber. Sophie was already in bed, lying perfectly still, face up, eyes closed. Ann let out her breath, relieved that there would be no talking or other shenanigans. She climbed into bed on her side, and blew out the candle.

No sooner had she closed her eyes, when Sarah came bursting through the sleeping chamber door. Sophie, awakened instantaneously, and, fangs bared, fairly flew over to the witch and pinned her up against the door. “What is the meaning of this you idiot!” Sophie growled. “Are you trying to be killed? Don’t you know better than to disturb a vampire at rest?”

“Sarah!” Ann cried. “She’s right you know. If she hadn’t had a moment of self-control, your head would have been torn off your shoulders. You know better than that. What on earth are you here for?”

“I can’t sleep with Anne Lister. She’s sitting up in a chair, staring at me,” Sarah said.

“So it was worth almost being killed to tell us that you and your roommate are having issues?” Sophie said, scoffing.

“Sarah, would you care to tell them why I’m sitting up in a chair and watching you?” Anne said, joining the party in Sophie and Ann’s sleeping chamber.

Sarah remained sullen and silent.

“Well, then I will. Sarah started vomiting in her sleep, and almost choked herself to death. I rolled her over on her side, cleaned her up, and the sheets she fouled, and I thought I would sit up to make sure I can help if she gets sick again,” Anne explained.

“That was kind of you Anne,” Ann said, relieved that it was nothing worse than the results of excess drinking. Witches did not possess supernatural powers when it came to being able to hold their liquor, a fact in evidence this evening. “But somehow, I don’t think it’s that at all,” Ann said. “Tell the truth, Sarah. What’s gotten into you and why are you trying to disrupt everyone’s rest.”

“If I could just stay with you tonight, Ann—I promise, I won’t try to flee. I…I just miss you,” Sarah said.

“Rubbish!” Sophie said. “The little witch is clearly up to something, and she’s trying to use Madamoiselle Walker’s feelings for her to manipulate her. Back to bed—everyone! And Sarah, if you make one more peep tonight, I swear on all that is unholy, that it might be your last one. Anne, if you wouldn’t mind watching her for the first half of the night, then I can take over,” Sophie offered.

“No need, Sophie. I can do without one night’s rest with no harm. Although to be honest, I think we should have chained her up in the windowless room and put several guards on her. Then none of us would have been disturbed,” Anne said.

“Nonsense, my love. No need to be a martyr for this one. I’ll find you in three hours time to relieve you so you can get a few hours rest,” Sophie said firmly.

“Ann! Are you just going to let them treat me like this?” Sarah said incredulously. “I thought I meant something to you. Don’t you care?” Sarah said.

“Yes, darling, of course I care. But you’re behaving erratically and irresponsibly, for no reason that I can fathom. You have not been behaving like yourself ever since I came to your room list night. What on earth has gotten into you?” Ann said, genuinely puzzled.

Sarah’s eyes darted around the room, as if looking for a way to escape. “That’s it, my little witch—I have no idea what you are up to, but I don’t care for it one bit,” Sophie said, her fangs still out. Anne, I think your initial instincts were correct. She must be locked up, chained, and guarded heavily tonight. Can you arrange that without getting exposed to the light?”

“Certainly. I’ve already had her new quarters prepared in case this came up. Sophie, take her other arm, please and let’s show her to her new room,” Anne said as they let Sarah away.

“Ann please! Don’t let them do this to me!” Sarah screamed.

“I’m sorry, darling. It’s for the best. You know how my kind are when we don’t get our rest,” Ann replied, and crawled back into bed. When Sophie returned, 20 minutes later, Ann asked how Sarah was.

“Oh she is angry and practically frothing at the mouth. I don’t know what’s really going on with her, but I don’t care for it one bit. I’m afraid, my dear, that she may have turned from an asset that we need, to a liability that we cannot afford,” Sophie said matter-of-factly.

“Who’s guarding her?” Ann asked. “And where is she being held?”

“It’s probably best that you don’t know where she is, Ann. She’s being guarded by Anne and two of her men. They are watching her every move. Both exits to the house are guarded as well. If she somehow manages to magic her way out of this, she won’t get far, unless she’s mastered the art of transmutation,” Sophie said. “Come now, lie back down and try to get some rest. And, I’m really sorry about all of this, Ann—truly.,” Sophie said kindly, as she tucked Ann in and kissed her forehead gently, then walked over to her side of the bed and slid under the covers.

“Good night, Sophie,” Ann said.

“Good night, Ann.”

**Translations:**

25 naughty beast

26 little angry cactus


	22. Ex lovers can make excellent friends

Ann’s internal clock woke her at sunset. She looked over at the other side of the bed to see that Sophie had already gotten up. She exited the sleeping chamber into the larger room and again, saw no sign of Sophie. _Oh, of course—those two are frolicking somewhere no doubt, while my poor, beautiful and unfortunately, slightly-underhanded witch is suffering, locked who knows where—unless she’s already been killed._ Ann’s logical mind had absolutely no problem with having to kill Sarah. She clearly was hiding something that could be quite deadly to the vampires, and she was doing nothing to instill trust—not even with her. But her heart…well that was another story.

She dressed quickly, and she exited her room and saw that Anne’s bedroom door was closed. She went upstairs, followed the smell of food and coffee, and found Anne and Sophie sitting next to each other at the breakfast table. Their heads were together, and they were smiling and being very affectionate with each other—as one does when one has reunited with one’s love after a long absence. Ann sighed, steeled her resolve, and swept into the room with all the bravado she could muster. “I trust everyone had a good night’s rest?” she asked by way of greeting.

Sophie looked at her blankly, and Anne looked down, suddenly very interested in her bowl of porridge.

“What’s happened?” Ann asked, trying not to sound as alarmed as she felt.

“Ann, why don’t you sit down—would you like tea or coffee?” Anne asked and rose from her seat to pull Ann’s chair out for her.

“Chivalrous to a fault, still, eh?” Ann said unsmiling.

“Tell her,” Sophie said. “You do her no kindness by hiding the truth from her.”

“Tell me what, Anne? What’s happened to Sarah?”

“Please sit down and I’ll tell you everything,” Anne said, pouring her a cup of tea.

“Last night, while I took the first shift guarding Sarah in the dungeon, she started making a ruckus. At first, I thought she was just babbling in her sleep. When I went to check on her, I found that she’d somehow managed to hide a sharp object somewhere on her person, and she’d used it to cut herself—quite badly actually. She was trying to cut herself free of the bindings we used to confine her, and she made quite a mess of it. I was able to catch it in time before she managed to bleed to death, but just barely. I had to give her enough blood to heal her, but not enough to either turn her or kill her completely,” Anne explained.

“Well, it sounds like all’s well, then. She’s not dead, and you managed to save her. But why do I have a feeling there’s something else you haven’t told me?” Ann said, trying to stay calm.

“When she realized that I had not given her enough of my blood to turn her, she went insane and thrashed about screaming and enraged—she was absolutely unhinged, Ann. She spewed all sorts of venomous barbs, saying that if I didn’t turn her, that she’d make sure that every one of us would die a horrible death—if it was the last thing she ever did,” Anne said.

“That makes no sense! I’ve never seen her act insane or crazy before. Someone must have hexed her or she’s been poisoned, or something,” Ann said, her mind reaching for any reason why Sarah would have ever said something like that.

“Never, Ann? No signs of instability?” Sophie asked gently.

“Nothing. Of course, it’s not like we had a normal relationship. We did spend 6 months living together once. It was wonderful—truly the best time of my life. And then she started to feel trapped and said she couldn’t breath and had to leave me. She told me to forget she ever existed and find someone else. I respected her wishes to a point, but I have been known to seek her out when I’m lonely, and she’s never refused me. But she sends me off alone after—every single time—dashing any hopes I might have of a reconciliation,” Ann explained.

“Ann, I believe that Sarah is far too unstable, and cannot be trusted. For all we know, the list she gave us is rubbish, and she may be in it up to her neck with the Sons of God. And as for her ultimatum about being transformed into a blood drinker--the last thing the world needs is an unstable vampire who is immortal and impossible to control. She doesn’t have the right temperament to become a blood drinker—as much as she might desire it,” Anne said sadly. “I’m sorry, my dear. I know that you care for her a great deal, but I think Sarah must be eliminated.”

Ann was quiet, and her back stiffened, her will and determination strengthening. “Sophie, do you concur with Anne’s assessment?” Ann asked.

“Yes, I’m afraid I do. When I took my shift guarding her, I observed her for quite a long time. She was talking to herself, babbling, muttering, and occasionally, banging her head against the wall. I do think she’s unhinged, and we can’t very well bring a witch to the local insane asylum—there’s no telling the havoc she would wreak,” Sophie said.

Ann was silent for a few moments, then said, “I respect your opinions, but I disagree. There is not enough evidence to support that she’s in league with the Sons of God, or that she’s gone all the way off her rocker and needs to be put down like a lamed horse. I shan’t trouble you with Sarah any longer. I will take her back with me, and I’ll watch and care for her until she’s well again. And if that never happens and her mind and spirit are truly broken, I will end her life, but not until I have done everything I can to save her,” Ann said firmly.

Anne and Sophie looked at each other, then back at Ann. “Are you sure that’s something you will be able to do—she’s a lot to handle, on a good day, never mind when she’s half mad,” Anne asked. “She is either insane, or she’s very dangerous, and in it up to her neck with our enemies.”

“I know her better than either of you do, and I do not believe she’s evil, nor that she’s hell-bent on eliminating the vampire species. I believe she has been hexed, or poisoned, and is acting under the influence that we don’t know the nature of. The very least that I owe her is a few days of watching her to see if she comes out of this on her own,” Ann said.

“That’s time that we don’t have, my dear,” Sophie said gently. “However, I understand that you feel you need to do that. But I must ask you to consider that if she is involved with the Sons of God, she could very well put a spell on you and you might find yourself walking into the sunlight—and none of us would be there to stop her.”

“Surely there must be some middle ground here, Ann—somewhere between killing her and risking your own life,” Anne reasoned. “What if we keep her here—locked up and under 24-hour guard—while we go warn the vampires nearby of the threat from the witches. That way she will be safe until we return—hopefully after we manage to thwart the plot to eliminate us.”

“I truly appreciate all of your care and concern,” Ann said. “But I would be of no use to you on the mission. All I will do is fret about Sarah, and if that’s the case, I might as well just be with her and watch over her. And I think she’ll be more comfortable at my home, as will I. I have another friend who is a witch who will help me. She’ll also be able to help me find out if Sarah’s been hexed, and if there’s anything that can be done to help her.”

“Sophie, what do you think?” Anne asked. “I can see both sides, and both arguments have merit, but I can’t decide the right course.”

“That’s because this is not your decision, mon Coeur,” Sophie replied. “Whether Sarah admits to it or not, she and Ann are mates, and as such, in our culture, it is Ann’s decision and only her decision. We can have all the opinions we like, but in the end, she’s willing to risk her life for the woman that she loves, and we must respect her choice. If the roles were reversed, and it was you babbling nonsensically in that room and banging your head against the wall, I would not be so quick to kill you and put you out of your misery. I would want to do the same thing. It hasn’t even been an entire day of her behaving oddly. She deserves more time.”

“Thank you, Sophie,” Ann said. “You are indeed a remarkable woman with a generous heart. I’ll get my things together and then I’ll take Sarah and we’ll be on our way.”

“When we’re back, we’ll come check on you—if that’s all right?” Anne said.

“Please—either way, I’ll be grateful to see you both. It almost feels as though we’re—friends of a sort” Ann said sheepishly.

“Oh my dear, ex-lovers can make the most marvelous friends. And when there is a dry spell in the bedroom, they can lend a hand, n’est ce pas?” Sophie said with a wolfish grin.

“Yes, well all right then—Ann should really be setting off, and we need to get going ourselves, Sophie,” Anne said, trying to change the subject. “Come with us, and we’ll take you to Sarah—then you can take your leave.”

As they made their way to Sarah’s makeshift prison, Anne unlocked the door and allowed the other vampires to enter first. They found Sarah, crouching down in the corner, looking disheveled and disoriented. When she saw Ann, her face lit up for a moment of recognition. “Ann, you’ve come to save me from these monsters! Thank you darling! I promise, I’ll take the Gift from you now—I’ll be your partner forever and a day. You’re all I dream of and think of. You never have to be alone again—I swear,” Sarah proclaimed.

Ann looked directly at Sarah and said, “Now I know myself the truth of the matter. You are either plotting some dastardly deed against us, or you have indeed become unhinged and you are a danger to yourself and others. You have told me you would rather die than take the Gift from me. And as hard as that was to hear, I’m glad you told me—because now I know that either you are not in your right mind, or you’ve been hexed somehow. As a supernatural being, you understand there is no hospital for witches, vampires and werewolves—we have to manage the sick ourselves. I’ll take you home with me and watch over you and care for you while you pass this crisis. I’ll get Mary to come to the house and examine you to see if you’ve been the victim of some sort of curse or poisoning.”

“And you’ll give me the Gift, Ann? Will you promise?” Sarah said, begging.

“Darling, you are in no mental shape to endure the process of transformation, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? Let’s just get you home.”

Anne and Sophie watched silently as Anne gently removed Sarah’s bindings, smoothed her hair back a gazed at her lovingly. Sarah put up no fight as Ann took her hand and led her upstairs, gathered her belongings and sped off into the night together.


	23. A Visit from Tib Norcliffe

Anne and Sophie adjourned to the study where they mapped out their journey to alert nearby vampires of the threat posed by the Sons of God. They had been working for a few hours, when Anne’s houseman came to the door to announce a visitor.

“What in the bloody hell?” Anne said. “Who could possibly be visiting at this hour?”

“Ma’am, she says her name is Isabella Norcliffe, and she has a matter of utmost urgency to discuss with you and Madamoiselle Sophie.”

“That’s the high priestess of the coven that Ann Walker mentioned, isn’t it? And you say she knew both of us were here?” Sophie said, surprised. “I can’t wait to hear what this is all about.”

“Show her in please,” Anne instructed, and the two of them waited—alert, but not nervous—to see what the witch wanted.

Isabella Norcliffe glided into the room, wearing an attractive, and very expensive green gown, which complimented her dark brown eyes perfectly. She was not a slim woman, but she carried her weight elegantly, and she was altogether a stunning package. Her voice was deep and rich, and she greeted the vampires formally.

“Madamoiselle Lister and Madamoiselle Ferrall—please forgive my intrusion, but I have a matter of importance to discuss with you both.”

“Welcome Miss Norcliffe. Your reputation proceeds you. Please tell us what is on your mind,” Anne said as she directed her to take a seat, and poured her a whiskey, which she accepted gratefully.

“Have you heard about the Sons of God, and how they are planning to annihilate the witch species by cutting a deal with the vampires to eliminate them?” Isabella asked bluntly.

“Hmmm…. that’s not quite how I heard it, Madamoiselle Norcliffe,” Sophie said.

“Please, call me Isabella—or Tib if you prefer. And if you don’t mind, would you tell me your version of what you’ve heard?”

“The Sons of God have been murdering vampires—we’ve lost dozens over the past few months. Somehow, they are luring them into the sunlight, which of course causes immediate immolation,” Sophie explained. “Vampires are not easy to kill, however putting us into sunlight is certainly the most effective and speedy way to do it. But vampires are powerful, and not easily fooled. We have excellent sight and hearing, and can generally tell when someone is approaching our resting spot from hundreds of feet away. We wondered how the Sons of God—mere mortals—were having such success in killing vampires. And then we learned that they had somehow involved witches in their scheme, compelling vampires to walk into the sun.”

“And the vampires that have been killed—you are certain of their deaths? Is there proof? Has anyone seen this happen?” Isabella asked.

“Personally, I know of two vampires who were killed—Niles Swenson, and Donatella Bianci. They were mates, and lived not 10 miles from one of my homes, and I’ve known them for 50 years. Two servants witnessed the entire thing, from the moment they rose from their resting spots, then walked outdoors, right into the morning sun. They tried to stop them—to pull them back. They screamed, they begged, they pleaded—and it was as though the vampires were in a trance or could not hear them. They could do nothing to stop them, and they watched them incinerate in a matter of minutes,” Sophie said.

“That’s horrible, Madamoiselle Ferrall. Please accept my condolences on the loss of your neighbors,” Tib said. “May I ask where the witches come into this story?”

“Tib—that is such a charming name—I will be honest. We have no proof that witches are involved, but we do know that witches are capable of compelling vampires. It’s the only way that we can possibly conceive of dozens of fully functioning vampires walking into the sun voluntarily. It’s not uncommon for a very old vampire to take his or her own life in that manner, but all of the vampires that have died recently have been relatively young—less than 200 years old, which is spry for our kind,” Sophie explained.

Tib sat for a moment and took a sip of the very fine whisky Anne had poured for her. She put the glass down, and said, “Your story is very enlightening to me, because we’ve been losing witches. Not as many as you have lost, but enough to cause alarm. In fact, I smell the essence of a witch who has been here recently. Would you care to explain that?” Tib asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, um…” Anne started, and Sophie put her hand up to stop her.

“Arrêtez Anne - pas un mot de plus avant de comprendre de qui et de quoi nous avons affaire ici, 27” Sophie ordered.

“Who you are dealing with, Madamoiselle Ferrall, is someone with a coven of over 100 witches under my care and protection. I’m here solely to share information with you, and to receive information in return.”

“We’ve shared quite a bit with you, Tib. Now it’s your turn. What is it that you know and what do you suspect?” Sophie asked.

“I believe that your theory is correct, because it is the only one that makes any sense. The Sons of God are using witches to compel vampires to kill themselves. Several of my coven members have disappeared without a trace, but they are not dead—we know they are still alive because we are able to use tracking spells to learn of their approximate locations. They are constantly on the move, and we’ve had no success in finding them before they move again. We’ve also lost a number of witches to strange deaths. They seem to become irrational and non-sensical, they begin harming themselves, have delusions and…well…we have no choice but to end their lives. We cannot have unstable witches roaming around causing havoc. It’s our code,” Tib explained.

“Oui—it is our code as well. The witch that you sensed here earlier is Sarah Smith. She shared an intimate relationship with Ann Walker—a blood drinker known to us—and we solicited her to help identify the witches who might be a part of the dastardly plot of the Sons of God. Within hours of her arrival last night, she was behaving exactly as you described—banging her head against the wall, babbling nonsensically, and she was delusional in believing that one of us would transform her from witch to vampire. We watched her overnight and then we agreed that we had no choice but to eliminate her for her own good. She had clearly become unhinged. However, Ann Walker intervened, and chose to watch over her personally for a few days to see if she is able to come out of the state that she’s in, or if this is a more permanent condition. And she has agreed to ‘handle’ the situation should she decide that Sarah is beyond hope of every getting well again. Is Sarah one of your coven members?” Sophie asked.

“She is not part of our coven. Sarah has always been very much a loner as far as associating with other witches or covens, and more interested in pleasures of the flesh than the healing arts or sorcery. She was somewhat talented in sorcery, but never really applied herself. We witches left her alone, and she preferred your kind to ours, in any case. Where are she and Ann Walker—her vampire friend?” Tib asked.

“Ann has taken her to her home—it’s about 25 miles north of here. “But you do know Ann, don’t you? She seemed to know you. She mentioned your name to us.”

“That’s interesting. I don’t believe she and I have met, but most of my circle are also witches. I’ve absolutely no quarrel with vampires, but we also don’t have much in common—until now of course. We seem to have a common enemy in the Sons of God,” Tib said.

“Perhaps if we work together, with your tracking spells and our travelling speed, we could find your missing witches and find out what they are up to. We could question them together and find out what they are up to. I’m assuming you have less violent means of getting information from your own coven members than perhaps we might?” Anne said.

“If we can stop the witches from helping the Sons of God, and if they can help us identify who they are working with, we can eliminate the problem directly, and leave you to deal with punishing your witches in your own manner,” Sophie said. “It involves a great deal of trust on all of our parts, but you seem like a level-headed woman of strength and character—a true leader among your kind. I believe it is worthwhile to pursue this strategy,” Sophie said.

“I just have one question, though,” Anne said. “When you got here, you started the conversation by telling us that you heard there was a vampire plot to eliminate the witches. But you haven’t asked us about it. Isn’t that awfully trusting of you?”

“Because my gifts include being able to detect a lie instantly, as well as being able to read minds. Neither of you have lied to me once since I’ve been here, and I do not detect any hidden plots to kill all the witches. It doesn’t sound like any scheme a bunch of vampires would cook up. You’re too busy enjoying your very long lives and pursuing your passions and pleasures to bother with eliminating any supernatural species. I believe what we both heard were rumors planted to pit us against each other, in the hopes that we would do the job that the Sons of God wanted done. I doubt very much that they will guess that we decided to join forces,” Tib said.

The women made plans to meet Tib and several of her coven members the next evening to launch their plan to find and return the missing witches, and get the answers—one way or another—that they need to find their common enemy—the Sons of God.

“So, mon Coeur, is your home always this interesting?” Sophie said, pouring them both another whiskey. “Miss Norcliffe is quite a formidable woman, n’est ce pas? I could smell the magic coming off of her, and her power is palpable. And, I would love to know who her dressmaker is.”

“Indeed,” Anne said, savoring her whiskey. “She certainly just saved us both a lot of time and effort. It will be much easier to locate a few witches than to contact several hundred vampires in just a couple of days. I do hope she’s trustworthy—I didn’t feel any sense of duplicity in her either, and I’m rather a good judge of that.”

“No, neither did I,” Sophie said. “She waited to put all of her cards on the table until after we’d done so, but that was smart on her part. She was on our turf, and she was alone and unprotected. She played it very well. I hope we can find her witches quickly and get to the bottom of all of this nonsense, and join forces and eliminate our real enemy. And then, perhaps, ma chouette, you and I can spend more time together and decide whether we want to reunite for another few hundred years.”

Anne grinned and replied, “I’m certainly open to spending more time together and seeing where we want to go. After last evening in the study, I realize how much I’ve missed you, Sophie. You know how to please me so well, and you do so with such enthusiasm and generosity. I’ve never had a lover like you, and I doubt I’d ever find anyone quite like you.”

“You won’t, so don’t bother trying. Stick with the real thing,” Sophie said. “Now, my dear, can I interest you in a little game of truth or dare?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Taking a stroll down memory lane, are we?” Anne said laughing.

“Why not? It might give us a chance to ask some poignant questions of each other—or, if neither of us is in the mood to reveal truths, we can have a lot of fun with the dares, don’t you think?” Sophie said.

“I think a little light-hearted fun is just what the doctor ordered. But since the dares always involve taking clothes off, why don’t we retire to our room, and that way we’ll be closer to the bed,” Anne said.

“So practical—that’s only one of the reasons I love you, mon Coeur,” Sophie said. “Lead the way.”

**Translations**

27 “Stop Anne--not another word until we understand who and what we are dealing with here.”


	24. Truth or Dare Part 2

Thirty minutes later, Anne and Sophie were much closer to the bed—and the game had already taken an interesting twist.

“You’ll want to tie the bonds tighter, Anne. You wouldn’t want me to slip away, now would you?” Sophie said giggling.

“You’re the one who dared me to blindfold you and tie you up. Unfortunately, you didn’t word your dare carefully, because you neglected to tell me what else you wanted me to do with you while are in this state,” Anne said triumphantly. _She always gets the better of me in this game, but not this time,_ Anne thought.

“Oh no, mon amour—I worded it precisely the way I wanted to word it. Now, I believe it’s your turn—do you choose a truth, or to you wish to choose a dare?” Sophie asked.

“Decisions, decisions, decisions…hmmm…let’s have a truth, shall we?” Anne said, thoroughly enjoying the vision of Sophie, bound to the chair, clad in nothing but a sheer shift, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination.

“All right then. I want you to tell me if Ann Walker made an advance towards you while she was here.”

“Yes, of course she did, but she wasn’t serious. She was just trying to get me going and then cut me off at the knees, so to speak,” Anne explained. “We were arguing, like we do, about old hurts. Then she suggested instead of arguing, we find a better way to solve our differences, and you know, relieve some of that tension. She ran her finger from the top of my shirt collar down to the waist band of my trousers, then she said…well, never mind what she said. But had I been interested, which by the way, I was not, she very effectively made me see what a cruel person she really was and is. She hasn’t grown and matured—she’s stuck living in the past, and she’s petty, bitter and jealous.”

“Oh, she must have insulted me for you to shut her off. What did she call me? A slut? A whore? A wanton hussy?” Sophie said, licking her lips and moving her hips slightly in the chair she was tied to.

“Does that arouse you, my dear?” Anne said, leaning over and ghosting her fingers up the length of Sophie’s calf, causing her to shiver.”

“Many things arouse me, but none more than a woman defending my honor,” Sophie said. “Now, I believe it is my turn?”

“Yes, it is, my dear. What shall it be?” Anne asked hoping it would be a dare involving ravishing her with her mouth.

“I’d like a truth please,” Sophie said.

“Really? A truth? Because that’s certainly not what I…well, rules are rules,” Anne said. “All right. Tell me in great detail how you would like me to fuck you while you are tied up to that chair and blindfolded.”

“All right, my chouette—but just remember—you asked for this,” Sophie warned. “Oh, and my throat is a little sore, so I will need you to come very close to me, so I can whisper directly into your ear.”

 _Ah…so she does have a trick up her sleeve,_ Anne thought as she straddled Sophie’s legs and sat on her lap, wrapping her arms around her and placing her ear right next to Sophie’s mouth.

“First,” Sophie whispered, “I would have you put your delicious lips on my neck, and shower me with kisses. Then, you would rip my gown off me with your teeth, and proceed to bite me with your ferocious fangs, all over my torso and breasts—over and over and over—until your head is swimming with the taste of my blood and my body is weak with desire.”

Sophie could feel Anne’s breath coming hard and fast against her neck, so she continued. “You would be so wet by this point, that it would be very hard for you not to plunge your fingers inside of me, while you suck my nipples very, very hard. I would feel your wetness against my leg as you started to rut against me, desperate for friction of any kind.”

As much as this was affecting Anne, it was affecting Sophie more. She could feel her wetness dripping from her core, and with Anne seated on top of her, she couldn’t rub her thighs together for relief. And Anne, the little minx, was keeping her precious queer just above her own, so she could feel the heat, and she could smell her arousal, but she couldn’t actually feel her slippery folds rubbing against her.

“Go on, my love…unless the cat has your tongue and you’ve lost the power of speech,” Anne whispered into Sophie’s ear as she ghosted her lips against the back of her neck.

“Do you want more, mon Coeur?” Sophie asked?

“You know that I do,” Anne said, accidentally-on-purpose brushing her hand against Sophie’s queer. With lightning speed, Sophie broke free of her bonds, grabbed Anne around the waist and threw her onto the bed and climbed on top of her, stripping her blindfold off. Her fangs appeared, and she bit into Anne’s neck, while she plunged three fingers inside of her. Anne’s head snapped back as she became lost in the ecstatic feelings of pleasure that always came when Sophie took her like this. Sophie removed her fangs from Anne’s neck, and kissed and licked the wound until it healed almost immediately, her fingers never missing a stroke. She slipped her body down so she could taste her lover’s heat—then it was her turn to lose herself in the heady pleasure of devouring Anne’s pussy, drinking in every drop, licking every fold, caressing every inch of her most intimate area. Anne placed her hands firmly on the back of Sophie’s head and guided her to her clit, where she needed her attention. Not one to deny her love anything, Sophie of course, slipped her hands underneath Anne’s thighs and pulled her pussy as close to her mouth as possible, sucked her clit and lovingly caressed it with her tongue, driving Anne closer and closer to her release. Sophie licked and sucked her clit while her chin put delicious pressure on her entrance. Soon she felt Anne’s body tense and a few long moments later, she released a delicious moan as Sophie stayed locked onto her clit, making sure to wring every moment of pleasure from her lover.

When the last spasm ended, Anne pulled Sophie’s body up on top of her, and wrapped her arms around her. “You cheated.”

“No, I did not cheat,” Sophie said, rolling them both onto their sides. “When I dared you to tie me up, I never said for how long, and I decided it was long enough. A dare doesn’t usually last through multiple rounds of the game, does it?” Sophie reasoned, taking Anne’s hand and sliding it between her legs.

“You always have a logical argument, my pet,” Anne said, kneeling above Sophie, straddling one of her legs. Now, because you cheated, and you know you did, I’m putting the blindfold back on you as your punishment.”

“Oh, but you know that’s not a punishment, mon Coeur, but if it helps you feel better, certainly, I will take the punishment,” Sophie said as she lifted her head so Anne could tie the blindfold securely over her eyes. For a few minutes, not a word was exchanged between the two women. In fact, Anne had apparently gotten out of bed and left the bedroom. Knowing that it was all part of the fun, Sophie chose to put her time to good use, as she ran her fingertips over her nipples, teasing them, and sending pleasurable sensations to her core. She had an idea of what Anne might be doing, and it was causing her hips to rock involuntarily with anticipation. Just when she thought the anticipation was getting unbearable, Sophie felt something cold and hard running down the length of her torso, then up and down her legs, and finally, she felt it hovering just about her entrance. She lifted her hips, trying desperately to make contact with it—whatever it was. “Darling, why do you torture me so,” Sophie said, pouting prettily.

“Because it entertains me to do so,” Anne said using an authoritarian tone of voice that never failed to turn Sophie on. She straddled Sophie’s hips once again, and Sophie felt the cold, hard implement laying flat against the lower part of her torso. She wriggled her hips desperately, eager for Anne to fuck her with—well, anything at this point. She got her wish as she felt something small and thin entering her vagina. It was terribly small and terribly unsatisfying, and she was very confused as to what was happening. Sophie reached for the blindfold and Anne grabbed her wrists and pinned them both to the bed.

“If you so much as touch that blindfold, I will not fuck you tonight—with anything,” Anne growled.

“Veuillez me pardonner maîtresse. J'ai oublié ma place. Je vais me comporter. Je promets."28

”That’s better,” Anne said as she slipped the very small implement out of Sophie’s vagina, and instead, continued to run the tip of the phallic object along Sophie’s upper thighs, the top of her mound—anywhere but where Sophie desperately wanted it. She watched Sophie try to take command of her emotions, and relax into the sensations that Anne was delighting her body with.

“Is there something that you want, Sophie,” Anne asked, in a teasing, low voice.

“Do I have your permission to speak, Mistress?” she asked.

“Yes, you do, and please be as detailed as possible,” Anne instructed.

“Mistress, I would love for you to put whatever object you have been teasing me with for the past five minutes inside my chatte, and fuck me hard with it, until I beg for mercy,” Sophie said.

“Well now, we all want things, don’t we darling?” Anne said as she freed one of Sophie’s hands and brought it between her legs so she could feel what she was going to be fucked with—if she could behave. Sophie immediately wrapped her hand around it to feel its length and hardness. It was all she could do not to moan out loud, but she took Anne’s threat seriously, and there was no way she was not going to get fucked tonight.

“Do you like what you feel,” Anne asked.

“Oui—beaucoup, Maitresse.”

“Would you like me to put this inside you?”

“Oui s'il te plait maîtresse,”29 Sophie said, her voice dripping with need.

Anne slid her body down, lined her hips up with Sophie’s and placed the tip just at her entrance, where she rubbed it up and down the length of Sophie’s very wet slit.

“Do you like this, my darling?” Anne asked.

“Oui, I love it,” Sophie said. “Mistress, may I move my hips please?” she asked, trying not to sound like she was pleading, when indeed she was.

“Yes, you may,” Anne said, and immediately felt Sophie push her hips down enough to get the tip of the phallus inside her, pushing it up against Anne’s clit. Anne grabbed the base of the phallus and guided it inside Sophie, very, very slowly, until the entire length was inside. Sophie let out a deep cry of ecstasy and she felt the pressure of the hard phallus filling her and beginning to soothe the incredible ache that had been building up between her legs.

Anne ignored the protocol breach and began to thrust inside Sophie—slowly at first, and then with increasing speed. Sophie’s met her, thrust for thrust, as she writhed underneath Anne’s body. Sophie tried so hard to stay quiet, but it was nearly impossible for her, because the pleasure was overwhelming her senses. She adored feeling full, and having the phallus press against all of the marvelous places inside her chatte was more pleasure than she’d felt in a long time. And with every thrust, they were stimulating their clits as well, causing them both to pick up the pace and race to a spectacular finish.

“Grab my hips, Sophie” Anne ordered and her lover quickly complied, appreciating having physical contact with Anne’s body, as well as making their connection more secure as the pace ramped up. Anne switched to shorter, harder thrusts which gave them both more clitoral stimulation. She was so close, she didn’t know how much longer she could last.

“Come for me now Sophie,” Anne ordered as she fucked her still faster and harder, desperate for her release.

Sophie needed no encouragement, and she pulled Anne as close to her as possible as her legs shook and her hips bucked relentlessly against Anne. “Now, Sophie!” Anne said as she gave one final thrust and her body stiffened as she felt Sophie coming apart beneath her, and they fell over the edge together, riding out the waves of pleasure. Anne collapsed on top of Sophie, keeping the phallus inside. She slipped the blindfold off of her, and kissed the side of her face, her neck and anything else she could easily press her lips to. She felt Sophie’s heart hammering inside her chest, and her breath barely slowing down yet.

“May I take this out, now darling?” Anne asked.

“Yes, but please go slowly. I don’t know where you got that thing, but the size is incredible,” Sophie said, as she gently pushed the phallus out of her vagina while Anne pulled out. Anne, her body glistening with sweat, flopped onto her back to rest, while Sophie curled up next to her.

“I love it when you cheat at games,” Anne said, chuckling.

**Translations**

28 “Please forgive me mistress. I forgot my place. I'll behave. I promise.”

29 “Yes, please mistress.”


	25. The Plot is Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title says it all...

Sarah was babbling nonsense for two hours non-stop after they had arrived at Ann’s bungalow. Ann sat next to her and watched Sarah fall apart, right in front of her, while she chewed her bottom lip nervously. She wondered if she was in over her head thinking that she could manage Sarah’s illness, or hexing or whatever this was—all on her own. _Perhaps Anne and Sophie were right. But I still feel like I have to try and give her a chance. I just hope I can manage her without having to take drastic measures. It would gut me to have to kill her._

Ann heard a knock on the door, and her houseman answered. “Miss MacLean is here to see you Miss Ann. Shall I show her in?”

“Yes Edward, thank you,” Ann responded. “Sibella, thank you so much for coming by so quickly. As you can see, I have a bit of a situation here.”

Sibella MacLean was an old friend of Ann’s and a very gifted witch. But, like Sarah, she didn’t have much use for covens, and preferred to live quietly in her isolated home in the forest, surrounded by birds and other creatures--free to practice magic as she saw fit—not as it was dictated by the coven. She was tall, with a curvaceous figure, and she appeared to be in her late 40’s, although she was accustomed to putting a glamour over herself, so no one actually knew her real age. She had auburn hair, with a smattering of freckles dotting her face, owed to her Scottish heritage.

“Ann, what’s wrong with Sarah?” Sibella said, making her way over to the witch quickly and sat beside her. “Sarah, how to do you feel, love?” she asked.

“Like shit, Sibella! Those fucking vampires—you know how they are. They just take and take and take, and then when there’s nothing left, they just leave you lying there in the dust like yesterday’s trash,” Sarah said, followed by a long string of expletives. Her voice had gotten very gravelly, and she sounded almost possessed.

“What do you think is wrong with her, Sibella? Do you think she’s ill, or perhaps that she’s been hexed?” Ann asked anxiously.

“I’ll need to examine her more closely. May I take her into your bedroom? There may be some sort of mark on her that will let me know if she’s been hexed or poisoned,” Sibella explained.

“Of course,” Ann said. “I’ll help you get her to my room. I think I should stay close by though—in case she gets violent, as she has been. I wouldn’t want you to be harmed.”

“She can’t, love. I’ve already bound her powers while we’ve been sitting here. She won’t be able to cast any spells on me or anyone else—until I decide to remove it,” Sibella said.

“That’s wonderful, Sibella. I’ve been terrified that I’d bitten off more than I could chew in watching over her, but with her powers bound, she’ll be less dangerous. I have no doubt that I can physically restrain her, but if she’d started throwing spells about, I don't know the damage she might cause.”

  
“Come on—take her other arm and let’s get her to your room. The sooner we find out what’s wrong with her, the sooner we can figure out if we can help her, or if she is a lost cause.”

As Sibella examined Sarah, Ann went into the kitchen to brew a special tea that Sibella had brought for Sarah. Apparently, it worked like a truth serum of sorts. After drinking the tea, Sarah would be compelled to tell only the truth for at least one hour. That would be plenty of time to figure out what had happened to her, and also, whether she had anything to do with the Sons of God. _Sibella’s so clever. I’ve never heard of some of these charms and herbs, but her life of study and isolation have clearly made her a very powerful witch._

“Ann? Would you bring the tea for Sarah please?” Sibella called from the bedroom. Ann quickly poured a cup and brought it into the bedroom. “Lovely, dear. Thank you. Now Sarah, remember what we spoke about. You must drink the entire cup of tea—it’s good medicine for you,” Sibella said, as Ann winced. She hated lying to Sarah, but she knew there was no choice. Sarah was not in any condition to voluntarily agree to drinking any sort of ‘truth tea’, so it was only by subterfuge that they would be able to find out what really happened to her.

Sarah took a sip. “Oh it tastes lovely! Like licorice!” Sarah exclaimed. “Ann, have you got any biscuits? I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

Ann looked to Sibella who nodded her assent, and said, “Of course, my darling. I’ll go get them for you. I have your favorites.”

“Oh goodie!” Sarah said excitedly. Ann returned in a few minutes with a small plate of biscuits which she placed next to Sarah, who grabbed one and quickly bit into it.

“Ugh! What the Christ is in this? Did you put salt in this instead of sugar? It tastes like three-week old arse!” Sarah screeched as she spit the biscuit out and tossed it to the floor.

Ann looked hurt and puzzled, and she took a biscuit and bit off a small piece. “Darling it tastes like it always does—it’s cinnamon, cardamom and sugar. Can you not taste it?”

“Ann, dear, perhaps you should take the plate back to the kitchen, since it’s upsetting her so,” Sibella suggested. Ann returned to the kitchen and tried to collect her emotions before returning to the bedroom. _This is just awful! Sarah really is delusional. Those cookies are exactly the same as they’ve always been. She’s just being spiteful,_ Ann thought.

“Ann? Could you come here, please?” Sibella asked. Wiping her tears with her sleeves, she steeled herself for whatever was about to come next and returned to the bedroom. “She should be feeling the effects by now. We can start asking her some questions to see if we can’t get to the bottom of whatever has happened to her,” Sibella said.

“Sarah, dear, do you know why you are behaving strangely?” Sibella asked.

“Yes,” Sarah replied.

“Did someone hex you?” Sibella asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you know who that person is?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the person’s name?” Sibella asked.

“Mariana Belcombe” she replied, causing both Ann and Sibella to gasp. “Ann, we mustn’t frighten her” Sibella whispered quietly. “We must continue to ask questions and get as much information out of her as possible before the tea wears off.”

“You can stop whispering, Sibella. I can hear every word you say,” Sarah said.

“Fine—my apologies. We didn’t want to frighten you, Sarah,” Sibella said.

“Well, it’s a frightening thing, isn’t it? When a powerful witch hexes one of her own kind,” Sarah said knowingly.

“When did this happen, Sarah?” Ann asked.

“It were a few weeks ago. I was walking down by the lake, gathering herbs for a spell I was concocting. She came upon me suddenly, and struck up a conversation. I’d never met her before, but I’d surely heard of her. It turned my head a bit, having an important witch like Mariana pay attention to me,” Sarah explained.

“What did she want from you?” Ann asked.

“She said she needed my help. She said the blood drinkers had stolen her husband—a Charles Lawton. Said they had taken him and kept him prisoner in some dungeon and refused to release him.”

“Sarah, is Charles Lawton a member of the Sons of God?” Sibella asked.

“Yes,” Sarah said.

“Well, that certainly explains a lot. Mariana has gotten herself mixed up with the Sons of God in a big way—and now she’s betraying her own people in order to exact revenge on the vampires,” Ann said. “Oh, we’ve got to tell Anne right away. Before they leave tomorrow morning.”

“Wait,” Sibella cautioned. “We still have 40 more minutes of truth time available for Sarah. We can get her to give us more details. “Sarah, which vampires have Charles Lawton prisoner?”

“He’s being kept in York—there’s a cauldron of vampires located there, headed by Jeremy and Christopher Rawson,” Sarah replied.

“And Sarah, what did Mariana want you to do for her?” Ann asked.

“She wanted me to seduce a few vampires—specifically yourself and Anne Lister. She has a particular grudge against the two of you, apparently,” Sarah said mischievously.

“Sarah, do you believe Mariana Belcombe loves her husband Charles Lawton?” Ann asked.

“Ann, what does that have to do with anything,” Sibella whispered urgently.

“I’ll explain later to you, Sibella,” Ann whispered. I think I sort of know what’s motivating her now—she’s trying to kill a few birds with one stone.”

“She cannot stand Charles Lawton,” Sarah said.

“How much time did you spend with Mariana?” Ann asked.

“Oh, she stayed with me for a few days, actually. She were teaching me some spell work, and she liked to drink a bit, as do I. We stayed up very, very late one night--drinking. Told me everything. That’s why she hexed me. She wouldn’t have done so, but she said I knew too much, so as soon as I accomplished my mission and seduced the two of you, the hex kicked in, and I became a babbling idiot,” Sarah said.

“Sarah, is it possible to reverse the hex?” Ann asked.

“If it is possible, she didn’t tell me how,” Sarah said. “The way the hex works, I’m meant to go mad and either kill myself or be killed because I’m a danger to my own kind.”

“Excuse me Ann, but I’ve got to ask this. Sarah, tell me the story about Mariana having a grudge against the Ann Walker and Anne Lister.” Sibella instructed.

“Sibella, I don’t think that’s pertinent…” Ann started, turning bright red.

“Because they were in a lover’s triangle—the three of them. You see, Anne Lister and Mariana Belcombe were lovers before Ann Walker entered Anne Lister’s life. Mariana had been stringing Anne Lister along for years, promising to leave whatever man she was with at the time for her. Then, in walks Ann Walker, and all of a sudden, Anne Lister doesn’t have any time for Mariana,” Sarah explained.

“Sarah, I think Sibella has the idea—I think you’ve said enough,” Ann cautioned.

“Sibella told me to tell the story, and that means I’m going to tell the whole story,” Sarah continued. “Anne Lister was very in love with Ann Walker, and Ann returned the sentiment. Ann Walker offered her the blood drinker’s gift so they could be together forever. Ann Walker has this thing about ‘forever’, and don’t I know it! Anyway, Anne Lister took her sweet time deciding on whether she wanted to become a blood drinker, and Ann got tired of waiting—she figured Anne just didn’t know how to disappoint her, so she disappeared. So poor Anne Lister went to Paris to forget Ann Walker. Meanwhile, Ann Walker had second thoughts and went back to try to find Anne Lister—just after she’d left for Paris. She couldn’t find a trace of her, so Ann thought to go to Mariana Belcombe to see if she knew where she was. Well, that was a very bad miscalculation on Ann’s part. Mariana had never forgiven her for stealing Anne Lister from her. But Mariana is a cunning bitch. She pretended to befriend Ann Walker, and acted very sympathetic towards her. In fact, the two of them grew close—very, very, close, if you take my meaning,” Sarah said with great emphasis.

Sibella looked over at Ann Walker who was positively turning scarlet. “Then what, dear?” Sibella encouraged.

“Isn’t it funny that Ann Walker has such a yen for witches? She can’t seem to leave them alone. She never seems to mate with her own kind any more—hasn’t done since she slept with Mariana. So curious,” Sarah said. “That would be because Mariana hexed Ann in a moment of vulnerability. She’s compelled Ann Walker to only be attracted to witches. She can’t break the spell. She’s asked every witch she’s bedded, and I’ll tell you, there have been more than a few over the years. Mariana is a very, very powerful witch so when she hexes you, you stay hexed. There’s probably no hope for me,” Sarah said.

“Ann, how is Mariana even in the picture—she’s a witch, not a vampire. She can’t have been alive long enough to have been in a love triangle with you and Anne Lister before she was turned into a blood drinker,” Sibella said, genuinely puzzled.

“That’s because she’s a bit of a hybrid. She practices very old, very dark magic, and she’s managed to stay alive by drinking blood, and by doing various and sundry tasks for her dark master, which keeps her looking relatively ageless. She’s about 150 years old, give or take a decade,” Sarah explained. 

“Sarah, who’s working with Mariana,” Sibella asked.

“The Sons of God, and the witches she’s been hexing—like me—to lure more vampires to York. They want as many there as possible. She’s going to trick them into thinking that day is night and night is day, and they’ll all burn themselves in the sun,” Sarah said. “Then they’ll break Charles out of the dungeon.

“And she’s doing this for the Sons of God—the group her husband is part of?” Ann said.

“She doesn’t care who she uses. The woman’s mad as a cow! She says she’s working with the Sons of God, but I think it were all her idea—it started out as wanting to get revenge on just Anne Lister and Ann Walker, but then somehow, it turned into all the blood drinkers. She’s stupid if she thinks the Sons of God are going to save her—she’s pathetic, really,” Sarah said. “I’m tired now. Is it all right if I take a nap here?” she asked.

“Yes of course, darling,” Ann said, depositing a kiss on her forehead and motioning Sibella to join her in the other room.

“Sibella, can you stay with Sarah tonight? I think I have just enough time to get to Anne’s house before the sun breaks out and warn them of this elaborate, diabolical plot. They’re going to leave immediately upon sunset tomorrow, so I’ve got to catch them before they leave,” Ann explained.

“Go…go now! I’ll take care of Sarah, and please dear—be careful,” Sibella said, depositing a kiss on Ann’s cheek.

“Thank you Sibella. I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I’ll send word.” Ann dashed off into the night, hoping she was fast enough to make it in time to warn everyone.


	26. Ow! That hurts!

“Hold still Anne—it’s going to hurt if you move around too much,” Sophie said.

“Darling, I really don’t think this is such a good idea…shouldn’t we try to rest a bit for tomorrow? It’s bound to be a big day,” Anne said nervously.

“You are literally spoiling all my fun, Anne Lister. Now, if you’re not a good girl, I’m going to have to paddle you, and you know how much you dislike that,” Sophie said, her voice low and aroused.

“Hmmm…well, yes, sometimes I dislike it, except when I don’t,” Anne replied with a smirk. “Ow! Sophie, really—I don’t care for this.”

“Arrete! This is the dare I gave you, and you have to submit to it,” Sophie said, as she held the candle six inches above Anne’s upper thigh.

“Right, right—bloody truth or dare. Remind me not to play this with you again—at least not for a little while,” Anne said, pretending to pout. “Ow!” she yelled.

Without warning, Ann Walker stormed into the room, fangs out, ready to defend Anne from whatever harm threatened her. “Anne, are you all right? I heard you scream!”

Staring at Ann were two very startled, turned on, and confused vampires in the middle of candle play and a rough game of Truth or Dare.

“Ann, darling—if you wanted to play with us, all you had to do was ask,” Sophie purred, moving the candle away from Anne’s body and lounging down beside her. “Come now, there’s plenty of room. I’m sure I can scare up another blindfold and a candle.

As quickly as Ann’s fangs had appeared, they receded, and she was left looking very embarrassed, and like she was about to cry.

“Ann, what is it? Why are you here? Has something happened to Sarah?” Anne said, ripping the blindfold off her eyes and covering herself with the sheet. She tossed a robe to Sophie who made no move to put it on. She rather enjoyed watching Anne’s old lover squirm.

“I have important news for both of you—I know who’s at the bottom of the plot to kill the vampires and it’s more diabolical than you can ever image. We don’t have time for games, so if the two of you could just manage to put something on, so I don’t have to wash my eyes out with carbolic acid, I’ll tell you everything I know. Then you can go back to whatever it is you were doing, and no, I do not want to know!” Ann said angrily.

Duly chastened, Sophie put the robe on that Anne had given her, and Anne did the same, replacing the sheet which left nothing to the imagination. “Pardonnez mois, Ann. You know I’m a terrible flirt. Please—what has brought you here in such haste,” Sophie asked.

Ann sat down on a nearby chair, and caught her breath. She had travelled faster than she thought possible, and it had been a very, very long day.

“We dosed Sarah with a truth telling tea. She told us everything. She was hexed by a witch name Mariana Belcombe.”

“Mariana Belcombe! Are you joking? She can’t still be alive—she’d be close to 150 years old,” Anne exclaimed.

“Mon Coeur, let her speak. As you can see, we don’t have much time until sunrise,” Sophie said, placing her arm on Anne to calm her.

“Sorry. Please continue.”

“I won’t go into the details, but Mariana has managed to stay alive by a mixture of dark magic and blood drinking—but she’s not a vampire. She’s in league with the Sons of God. Her husband, Charles Lawton, is one of them—very high up on the food chain. He’s been taken prisoner by the Rawson brothers of the York caldron. She wants to lure as many vampires as possible to York, and she plans to somehow, with the help of the witches that she’s been hexing—like Sarah—to compel them all to think that night is day and day is night so that they all burn to death in the sun. Then they’ll release Charles and all will be right as rain for them. And the witches that are helping her? When they finish doing her bidding, the hex kicks in and they become babbling idiots and they either kill themselves, or they’re killed because they are a danger to others.”

“That’s quite a story. And it all came from the little witch,” Sophie asked.

“Yes. And I’m certain it’s true,” Ann said.

“But what is the motivation for all this vitriol towards vampires? Surely, there must be a reason?” Sophie asked. Ann blushed furiously, and Anne looked like she was going to explode with rage. “Come on you two—out with it.”

“Mariana, Anne and myself had a bit of a love triangle of sorts. Anne was with Mariana when she met me, and then she left Mariana for me. Then I offered Anne the gift, she took too long to make up her mind, I got impatient and left, and Anne left for Paris to try to forget everything and everyone. Meanwhile, I was upset with myself for leaving Anne before giving her enough time to decide whether she wanted to become a vampire, so I thought perhaps I would try to find Anne, but I found no sign of her. In complete and utter desperation, I went to Mariana to find out if she knew where Anne was. To be clear, I never knew Mariana was a witch—had I known, I certainly wouldn’t have allowed myself to fall into her trap,” Ann said.

“What happened when you saw Mariana?” Anne asked, her eyes dark.

“She befriended me. She…ok, she seduced me. And while I was vulnerable and not paying attention, she placed a hex on me,” Ann said.

“What was the hex?” Anne and Sophie said in unison.

“That I would only ever be attracted to witches from that day forward, and I would never be able to mate with one of my own kind again,” Ann said, hanging her head. “So you see, there’s a reason for my obsession with witches. I literally can’t help it. And it’s not like I can just ignore the feelings I have. She’s put a craving for witches in my blood—like a blood lust of sorts, only not quite that strong. So in essence, Marian Belcombe, evil witch extraordinaire, has a score to settle with Anne and me. That’s why she compelled Sarah to seduce both of us. Once that was accomplished, the hex kicked in turning Sarah into a dangerous, blithering idiot.”

“Where is Sarah now?” Sophie asked.

“Sibella – my friend – is staying with her. She’s bound her powers so she can’t use any magic against Sibella or anyone else, and she’s keeping watch over her so that she doesn’t harm herself.”

“Oh Ann—I’m so very sorry,” Sophie said. “And why am I just learning of this pit viper that you allowed into your chatte many years ago, Anne? I’m sure in all the years you and I have spent together, you might have found one evening to tell me that delightful little tale,” Sophie said, her words laced with anger.

“It wasn’t that important, my dear! I never knew Mariana was a witch—I swear! I was with her, off and on, before I met Ann. She was always with some man or other, so I was a plaything on the side for her. Nothing serious—well, on her part at least. I never thought about her again once I ended things with her. And I had no idea about what she’d done to Ann, which, by the way, I’m sorry for, my dear. She’s truly done you wrong, and if she did that because of some misguided feelings she held for me—well, she’s sicker than I ever understood,” Anne said.

“Bonne. At sunset, we leave to see Miss Norcliffe. We’ll tell her all of this and take her counsel. I’d like to find Mariana Belcombe tonight and drag her entrails through a hog pen full of shit, but that pleasure will have to wait. We need to catch her in her own trap. And her husband? I’ll feed his eyes to the crows, along with the eyes of all the other Sons of God,” Sophie said disgustedly.

“Ann, we’ve only got about 15 minutes or so before sunrise. Would you like to rest in the other bedroom? I’m sure you can find a nightgown and whatever you need there,” Anne said.

“Yes, thank you. And, I’m very sorry to both of you for interrupting your love games. I know I was shocked, but truthfully, I think it’s lovely that after all this time, you still find each other exciting in bed. That’s something I’ll never have, since any lover I have is going to die after a normal human’s lifetime—if I can manage to find someone to stay with me that long. But if anyone can have that, I’m glad it’s you two. Good night now,” Ann said, turning and closing the door behind her. Both women were struck by her grace and honesty.

“Mon dieu, can tonight get any stranger?” Sophie asked, shaking her head. “Never a dull moment in this house.”

“It’s not usually like this, but these are desperate circumstances,” Anne said. “Come to bed now and for god’s sake, can you get the bloody wax off of my back please? You know I can’t reach it back there.

Sophie giggled as she turned Anne around and started picking wax off her skin, perhaps less gently than she could have. “Ow—could you be more careful, my dear?” Anne pleaded.

“Oui mon Coeur.”


	27. Finding the witches

Anne, Sophie, and Ann Walker rose at sun set, and quickly dressed so they could set off to see Tib Norcliffe. They had to inform her of Mariana Belcombe’s dastardly plot and somehow stop her before she managed to kill dozens of vampires, and the witches that helped her carry out her plot.

Travelling with vampiric speed, they arrived at Tib’s house within the hour. Tib lived in the middle of the woods, in a very large house, with a number of outbuildings, and plenty of room to have pagan rituals and bonfires when the mood struck. Anne rapped on the door, and it was immediately opened by a young servant girl.

“Welcome. Ms. Norcliffe is expecting you. Please, come in and I’ll take you right to her.”

They were shown into the drawing room which was very tastefully decorated. Tib rose immediately to greet them.

“Ladies! Thank you so much for coming this evening. You must be Ann Walker? It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Tib said, extending her hand.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ann responded lightly shaking her hand.

“Lovely to see you again, Tib,” Sophie said, greeting her with a kiss on both cheeks. “We have news for you. Ann, since you were the one that got the information from Sarah, why don’t you share it with Tib.”

Ann recounted the plot that Sarah had revealed to her with the help of the truth-telling tea, and Tib’s face changed from anger, to incredulity, to determination—all in the space of 10 minutes. When Ann was through, Tib paced the room a bit, trying to gather her thoughts.

“Mariana Belcombe. That’s a name I haven’t heard in quite some time,” Tib said.

“Do you have une histoire with her too, Tib?” Sophie asked.

“Mais oui. It seems you may be the only one who hasn’t sampled her pleasures, Sophie, but let me save you the trouble. She is a poisonous, venomous snake, and she is one of the most evil creatures I’ve ever encountered. I had hoped I would live the rest of my life out without having to hear her name again, but alas—that’s not to be the case,” Tib said ruefully. “And if she truly is out for revenge against the two of you, well, she’ll be hell bent to see it through. We will need to work together, and be very, very careful,” Tib said.

“We need to find your witches that are helping her,” Anne said. “Preferably before they start luring more vampires to York. It might be a good idea to tell the Rawsons as well, since they’re the ones holding Charles Lawton captive. I’m assuming they are keeping him hostage because they know he’s one of the Sons of God, but we can’t be certain until we speak to them.”

“Agreed. Please, come with me. I have several of my coven members scrying for their whereabouts now. We’ll pair each vampire with a witch to retrieve them,” Tib said.

“Wait,” Anne said. “This seems all very willy-nilly. We don’t know that your missing witches are part of the plot, although it is probably a safe assumption. I want a better plan, and we have to somehow make sure we aren’t walking into a trap,” Anne said. “How many witches are we talking about trying to find?”

“There are three witches that are missing, that we believe are involved with the Sons of God,” Tib replied.

“All right—that seems fairly manageable,” Sophie said. “There are three vampires, and if we take three witches, one of which will be Tib, we can strike simultaneously. Tib, can you assure us that you’ll send your most gifted sorceresses with us to bring the witches back here?”

“Certainly. And I suggest we strike silently and quickly—we’ll bind their powers and using your travelling speed, we’ll get them all back here quickly, before they can launch any sort of counter-attack,” Tib said.

“And what if your witches aren’t able to bind their powers, or they somehow trap us—what then?” Anne asked.

“We can’t afford mistakes here—there won’t be a second chance. If any of the three teams fails to bring back or kill the witch, then the whole plan will be for naught, because they will tip off the Sons of God,” Tib said.

“And what about the Rawsons? When do we let them know about the plot?” Anne asked.

“I know a vampire nearby who will help us. He can go to York tonight while we’re out witch hunting and deliver a letter from us to the Rawsons. Tib, can you send a messenger tonight? He’s not far,” Sophie said.

“Yes, certainly. The messenger can depart with the letter as soon as it’s complete. Everyone else can come with me and we’ll see if we’ve had any luck locating the rogue witches,” Tib instructed, leaving Sophie behind to write the letter.

Anne and Ann followed Tib into another room were several witches were deep in concentration, eyes closed, holding pendulums that were hovering over various maps they were working with. They stood quietly in the room so as not to disturb them, while Tib went to each woman to check in with their progress. After a few minutes, Tib returned with one of the maps to update them.

“Well, we have two out of three located. One is located about 40 miles from here, right there,” she said pointing to the map.

“I know that area,” Ann Walker said. “There is a large cauldron of vampires located within 10 miles of that location—Mariana’s probably focused her efforts on luring them to York. I know quite a few of the vampires. Perhaps I should take that group?”

“Splendid, Ann. If I were you, I’d get the witch out of commission first—that will more than likely foil the plan. Then, after you have her, you can find one of the vampires and let them know what’s happened and they can notify the rest of the cauldron,” Anne suggested.

“Brilliant—yes, that’s what we’ll do. Who’s coming with me, Tib?” Ann asked.

“Desiree located the witch, so she’ll go with you. She’s also very gifted—she won’t have any trouble subduing Melody—the rogue witch,” Tib explained. She called Desiree over to their group, introduced her to Ann Walker, and explained the plan.

“Good luck to both of you, and I hope to see you back her before sunrise,” Tib said, as Ann and Desiree took their leave.

“Now, Anne, let’s see if you and I can track down the other witch, shall we?” Tib said. “She’s located 30 miles in the opposite direction from where Ann and Desiree are headed. Do you happen to know any vampires there?” Tib asked.

“Why, yes—I certainly do. There is a smaller cauldron of vampires near the place where this witch is located. Are you coming with me?” Anne asked.

“Yes. Of the three witches, Jocelynn is the most powerful, so I think I’d like to handle her myself. She also happens to be one of my—ah, protegees, so I have a vested interest in finding her,” Tib said.

“Were you involved with this woman, Tib?” Anne asked. “And I only ask so that I know what I am walking into. These things can be tricky when the heart is involved.”

“Yes, Anne. I was. For quite some time, actually. It didn’t end well. She was very jealous, even though I never strayed. It put a strain on things, since as high priestess, I have many witches that I work with closely. We ended it and I’ve not seen her for several years,” Tib explained.

“Are you going to be all right?” Anne asked.

“I will be able to do the job that needs to be done. I’ll allow myself to be emotional once we have successfully ruined the plot and destroyed the Sons of God” Tib said confidently

“Ah bonne, where are we, mes filles?” Sophie said, sweeping into the room. Anne updated her while Tib checked in on the location of the last witch, which fortunately, they now had. Tib introduced Sophie to Genevieve, who would accompany her to retrieve Esther, located about 45 miles south of their current location. Anne did know a vampire in that area, and she gave Sophie her name and address.

The four of them were ready to set off on their respective missions. They had no time to waste, and a lot was riding on their success. “Remember—neutralize the witches first—then you can use the threat of bodily harm to subdue them once their powers are bound. Then notify one of the local vampires so they can spread the word of the plot. Everyone must take care not to travel anywhere near York. Understood?” Tib noted everyone’s assent, and they departed, firm in their resolve.


	28. Which Way did the Witches go?

“Peto fortissimorum ad dominum audi me et Romam reuerterunt. Quoniam tempus est ut pavet Haemonias, et oriri lamia mori,” intoned the witch, Melody as she worked deeply in a trance, surrounded by her articles of black magic. She knelt on the floor in her kitchen, where a ghastly pot of herbs and other unidentifiable magical items were boiling, creating a distressingly foul aroma. The distinct smell wafted outdoors, where Ann Walker and Desiree, a member of Tib’s coven, hid in the shadows.

“Can you bind her powers while she’s working” Ann asked, her eyes watering at the incredible stench.

“It’s not ideal, but I think I can manage,” Desiree said. “She probably hasn't protected herself adequately. She lives so far into the woods and away from people, it’s likely she has grown sloppy with taking proper precautions. Give me a moment to see if I can tap into her energy. As soon as I’ve got her powers bound, I need you to dash in there and subdue her by any means possible.”

Ann stayed perfectly still and on high alert, waiting for the moment when she would spring into action. A lot of lives depending on how successful she and Desiree were tonight. The witch next to her began to chant an ancient binding ritual, with her hands mimicking a weaving motion:

“I take your hands in mine

And with this string

I will entwine

Your powers

I'll forever bind

From now until

the end of time.”

They waited, holding their breath, until they heard Melody start to shriek.

“All right Ann—it’s done—go in now!” Desiree whispered urgently. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ann flew in through the open window, and quickly overpowered the surprised Melody, who hung her head in defeat and offered no resistance. Desiree entered through the front door and confronted the rogue witch.

“What are you up to, you crazy hag?” Desiree said, her voice low, and menacing.

“You know, Des…just trying to earn a little spare change,” Melody said nonchalantly.

“This is a side job you’ll live to regret,” Desiree said. “Ann, take us to the nearest vampire that you know so we can inform him of the plot and he can warn the others.”

As the three stepped outside, Desiree stepped away for a moment, murmured a spell, and in seconds, Melody’s house was set ablaze.

“No—you can’t! All my work! All my magic!” Melody screamed.

“Let’s go, now—before I decide to throw Melody into the fire,” Desiree said, as Ann sped them to the closest vampire that she knew. She had to try three different places, because it was the height of the hunting hour, and not everyone was at home. She finally had success and located her friend Finnegan. Ann quickly filled him in and he promised to set off immediately and spread the word that there was a plot against the vampires, and that the witches responsible for helping the Sons of God were being apprehended that night. “And remember,” Ann cautioned. “Tell them not to go to York for any reason whatsoever—it’s a trap.”

“Thank you my dear—safe travels with your prisoner, and I hope she meets a painful end to her pathetic life,” he spat.

“All right—let’s get back to Tib’s house,” Desiree said.

“Wait—Tib? She knows about this?” Melody said, genuinely frightened.

“That’s right. Your high priestess is going to be very, very disappointed in you, you poor excuse for a witch. I wouldn’t be shocked if she delved into ancient lore to find a particularly painful way to end your life,” Desiree said, smiling.

“There will be plenty of time to taunt each other later—let’s get back,” Ann said as she led them back to Tib’s house in record time.

Meanwhile, Tib and Anne were stalking the witch Jocelynne, who was outdoors, gathering herbs and mushrooms in the dark. “What are you waiting for Tib? Bind her powers,” Anne whispered urgently. “We don’t have time to fool around.”

“I know what I’m doing, Anne. She’s too far away, and it’s harder to do this when she’s outdoors,” Tib explained.

“With all due respect, Tib, you’re delaying the inevitable. I promise, I won’t harm her. But please bind her powers before she senses our presence. I’m not a witch, and even I can sense the power emanating from her essence,” Anne explained. “If you wait too long, she’ll have the upper had on us and we might both be dead.”

“Fine,” Tib said, closing her eyes and quietly casting a spell. In a few moments, they heard Jocelynne cry, “Isabella? Is that you my love?”

“Yes, darling, it’s me!” Tib said walking into a small clearing.

Without a word of warning, Anne swooped in and captured the witch, easily overpowering her with her vampiric strength. Isabella walked up to the witch slowly, and confidently.

“Darling, is it you? Is it really you?” Jocelynne cried. “Save me from this retched beast. You must protect me Tib!”

“I’m sorry my dear, but you’ve over-played your hand. There will be no mercy for you now. You made the mistake of siding with Mariana Belcombe, and she’s tricked you. “

“But…what do you mean? I was just getting ready to cast the final spell on more than a dozen vampires. What has Mariana done?” Jocelynne asked, terror creeping into her voice.

“As soon as you’ve cast your spell over your vampires and sent them to York, you’ll lose your senses and your mind, and there will be no hope for you,” Tib said, a bit sadly.

“Stop—wait! You can’t let this happen to me! Tib, I thought you loved me!” Jocelynne said, desperately.

“Funny about that,” Tib said. “It seems my feelings have changed. I see you for who you are—a conniving, evil woman, capable of more treachery and selfishness than I ever imagined. If you want to try to save yourself and throw yourself on my mercy, you can tell me why on earth you’re working for Mariana Belcombe.”

“She said the vampires were trying to wipe out the witches—we had to strike them first! She made me feel like it was a big deal that she chose me to work with her—she’s a bloody gifted sorceress, albeit she is a fucking cunt most of the time,” Jocelynne said. “Tib, come on! What else do you want to know? I’ll tell you anything you want.”

“Fine. Tell me where Mariana is, right now.”

“I don’t know—I swear. I haven’t seen her in a week,” Jocelynne said. “She’s probably in York, trying to save her dreary husband’s life.”

“We didn’t need her to tell us that, Tib—come on, we need to go. She’s useless to us,” Anne said.

“We may yet have a use for her, Anne,” Tib whispered.

“If you’ve not cast the spell, then you’ll be all right—well, there will be repercussions for your actions, but you won’t lose your mind because of Mariana’s hex,” Tib explained to Jocelynne. “Come with us now—we must warn the vampires not to go anywhere near York.

“Tib,” Anne whispered, “Can we trust her? She’ll say anything to live another day.”

“It’s a chance I’m willing to take. Now find one of your vampire friends so they can sound the alarm, and we’ll go back to my house. We need to get the others and get to York as quickly as we can,” Tib said.

Anne spirited them away to the nearest vampire she was acquainted with, and filled him in on the plot. He promised to alert the others immediately, and they quickly made their way back to Tib’s house.

They were greeted by Ann and Sophie, as well as Desiree and Genevieve. The rogue witches were shackled and locked into a small outbuilding on the estate, under heavy guard. Tib had two of her guards take Jocelynne to join the others in the make-shift prison. Just as they started leading her away, she started thrashing about madly, foam forming in the corners of her mouth, her eyes wild with fear.

“Jocelynne, what have you done, you little fool!” Tib screamed.

“Fuck you Tib! You lying, cheating whore! I loved you—I only ever loved you, and you just couldn’t keep your hands to yourself,” Jocelynne cried, straining against the firm hold of the guards. Anne stepped in and grabbed her by the throat, which silenced her, and marched her to join the other rogue witches.

“Tib, do you think she’s already cast the spell—is that why she’s behaving so strangely?” Ann asked.

“Most certainly—I believe she has. Which means there are more than a dozen vampires that are going to meet their end tonight, if we can’t get to York and somehow break the spell she’s put on them that will cause them to confuse night with day,” Tib explained.

“Priestess Isabella, I was able to get Esther to give me the spell they were each given to cast with the instructions. I told her we would consider her assistance when it came time to render her punishment. If we have the spell, then it should not be difficult to counter it,” Genevieve explained. “But we must get to York immediately.”

“And then I’ll take care of Mariana myself,” Sophie said menacingly. “She’s caused quite enough trouble for all of us.”

“Give us 30 minutes to craft a counter spell,” Tib said, indicating for the witches to join her. “While we’re doing that, come up with a plan to find your vampires so we can reverse the spell their under. We can’t scry for vampires, so we’ll rely on your superior senses to sniff them out.”

“Bien—come ladies,” Sophie said to Ann and Anne. You both know York very well. Let’s figure out where they might be—perhaps the Rawsons will have received the message we sent earlier and can assist us.”

“I don’t like any of this—it’s too fast, it’s too sloppy, and it’s not well planned,” Anne said.

“Anne, this is war. War is not pretty, and doesn’t have the luxury of time. Tonight is the battle of our lives. We need to save our brothers and sisters somehow, and manage not to fall into any other traps Mariana Belcombe may have waiting for us. The good news, is that she is not expecting us. We will have the element of surprise. If we find her, we have to neutralize her immediately,” Sophie said. “If things go our way tonight, there will be a bloodbath of witches and humans.

“I’ll be happy to kill her,” Ann spat. “She’s ruined my life—the least I can do is take hers from her.”

“I understand Ann—I really do. And taking out Mariana is at the top of our list. Whoever sees her first needs to strike swiftly, and silently, so she has no time to launch a defense. Are we clear?” Sophie asked, and the others nodded their agreement.

They spent the remainder of their time discussing the most likely places the vampires would congregate while they waited for the witches to finish their work. Anne was still very apprehensive about the lack of a solid plan of attack, but she knew how strong the three of them were—if surprised, Mariana would have no recourse and would be dead in seconds with a snap of the neck _. We can do this. We have to do this_ , she thought.


	29. What to do with all these rogue witches?

While Melody and Genevieve worked on the spell that would counter the hex cast by rogue witch Jocelynne, there was a fierce debate raging among the vampires as to what should be done with the witches who went along with Mariana’s evil plan.

“It seems simple to me—they all die, except perhaps Esther, who gave us the counter spell. If it works, that is. But Jocelynne and Desiree should die for their treason,” Sophie said.

“Tib might have something to say about Jocelynne—they have history,” Anne remarked.

“What about Sarah?” Ann asked. “Mariana tricked her—the only thing she’s guilty of is being rather slow on the uptake and a bit free with her sexual favors.”

“Is that what you call it?” Anne said, mockingly. “She’s the one that went after the three of us! I know you care for her Ann, but surely she’s done enough harm to all of us—you in particular.”

“She gave us the whole plan, Anne! Without Sarah, we would never have been able to catch any of the other witches! How is that different than the assistance that Esther gave in providing the counter spell?” Ann reasoned.

“She has an excellent point, mon Coeur,” Sophie said. “But Ann, isn’t it too late for Sarah? Haven’t her senses all but left her?”

“Probably, but I would like to try to save her. I can get their quickly, give the spell to Sibella to cast and then join you in York to help round up the vampires,” Ann said.

“Isn’t it up to Tib to decide the fate of the rogue witches?” Anne asked. “After all, they’re her responsibility, aren’t they? She should say what happens to them.”

“Sarah wasn’t part of her coven, Anne. She doesn’t answer to Tib, just as I don’t answer to you or to Sophie.”

“She’s right,” Tib said, walking purposefully into the room. “Sarah doesn’t answer to me, but the other witches that cooperated with Mariana do. And I’ve already decided to spare Esther’s life for the time being, but Jocelynne and Desiree’s time on this earth has come to an end. As for Sarah, I think the poor dear is pretty far gone. Even if you were able to reach her tonight Ann, it might be too late for the spell to work.”

“I’d like to try, Tib. I just need a copy of the spell—Sibella can take care of the rest. She’s important to me—I really do love her,” Ann said, a tear forming in her eye.

“Tib, my vote--if I have one--is to give Ann the spell and let her leave immediately to try to reach Sarah in time. We can do without her help in York, I would think. Two vampires and three witches should suffice, oui?”

“I have no objection, Ann. Genevieve will write down the spell for you so you can leave immediately. I wish you all the protection and the blessings of the goddess that your mission to save Sarah is successful,” Tib said, as Ann took her leave.

“She really does love her, terribly, doesn’t she,” Sophie whispered to Anne.

“Humph.”

“You’re turning green with envy, Anne. It doesn’t become you,” Sophie admonished. “Ann is happy with Sarah, even if the little witch treats her shabbily. What business is that of yours?”

  
Anne sighed. “You’re right. It’s just, since I found out what Marianna did to Ann, it’s brought up feelings. Like guilt—because Mariana was jealous of Ann and my relationship with her. And because I didn’t realize Mariana was a witch—at least not one with magical powers. I feel responsible for what happened to Ann in some way.”

“That’s understandable, ma chere,” Sophie said. “But what if Ann and Sarah were destined to be together—even without the hex? The heart wants what the heart wants, and we have no way of knowing that Ann would have met a dashing vampire and lived many years with him or her if she hadn’t been hexed. She might have chosen Sarah anyway. The ladies in the other room are good with crystal balls, my dear. We are not.” Sophie took Anne’s hand in hers and gently kissed her lips. “I promise I will listen to you for as long as you need to talk about your feelings about Ann—after we kill Mariana and save our brothers and sisters.”

“Yes, of course—I’m sorry I was so petty and self-indulgent. And I hope Ann is able to save Sarah—for both of their sakes,” Anne said.

“I wonder what will happen to Ann’s hex when we kill Mariana—do you suppose it will die with her, and Ann will finally be free of it?” Sophie said.

“I don’t know—I suppose we’ll have to wait and see,” Anne said, her heart clutching unpleasantly in her chest. _Absolutely NOT Lister—get a hold of yourself!_ Anne admonished herself. _The Ann ship has definitely sailed about 125 years ago, and no good can come from plowing that field again. You have a chance with Sophie—your real, true love. Why waste time on Ann, who threw you away? She just wants to hurt you—she’s bitter and dark and negative and a bit unhinged. And really, you and Sophie are the better match. You were so happy with Sophie. You can be again. And you don’t even know if the hex will die when Mariana is killed, so put aside this folly, and pay attention. There are lives at stake._

“Are you quite through talking to yourself, mon Coeur?” Sophie asked.

“What? Was I talking out loud?” Anne said, fairly horrified.

“My darling, Anne, how long have we known each other?” Sophie asked. “I can hear your moral struggle without you saying a word. Now, as I said, would you please push the feelings you have for Ann to the side so we can go save the vampire race from extinction?”

“Certainly, darling. My apologies. Let’s see if the others are ready to leave yet.”

Sophie and Anne went into the front room, just in time to see the witches gathering their supplies for the trip to York. “We’re ready to go,” Tib announced, “so please, take us to York with all due speed.”

“What will you do with the captured witches?” Anne asked.

“Their powers are bound, and I’ve put them all under a spell that has rendered them unconscious. I call it my “Sleeping Beauty Spell”. They won’t move a muscle until we return,” Tib explained.

“I know we don’t want to think about this, but what if we don’t make it back alive?” Anne asked.

“Then I guess it really will be a sleeping beauty spell and they’ll have to wait for a prince or princess to kiss them to awaken them from their slumber,” Tib said lightly. “But we must put any doubts we might have to the side. We have to go into this with 100% confidence. We are stronger, smarter and we have the upper hand—and the counter spell. Mariana won’t have a chance against all of us.”

“Very true,” Sophie said. “We have to go into this knowing that there is only one path to victory for us, and that’s saving the vampires by administering the counter spell. And killing Mariana, cette misérable pute à sucer la bite qui regrettera le jour de sa naissance!”30 Sophie said.

“Oh my, I love it when you talk dirty in French,” Tib said, causing Sophie’s eyebrow to raise, and her lips rise in a smirk.

“My dear, as entertaining as flirting with you is, we must focus on our mission. There will be plenty of time for dirty talk when we’re done with this mess,” Sophie said.

“I say whoever sees her takes her out immediately—she’s far too dangerous, and it’s time to end her. As long as she dies, I don’t care who does it,” Anne said. “And behave!” she whispered loudly to Sophie.

Anne, Sophie, Tib, Melody and Genevieve took their leave and headed to York with high hopes, and a healthy amount of fear.

**Translation footnotes:**

30 That miserable cock sucking whore who will rue the day she was born.


	30. The Rawson Brothers

Ann travelled as fast as she dared, hoping to reach Sarah in time before she succumbed to the hex. Mariana’s evil spell had infected Sarah for several days, and was triggered as soon as she successfully seduced Anne Lister.

_I can’t fathom why Mariana hexed Sarah to seduce Anne—what on earth does she hope to accomplish?_ Ann thought. _And Sarah never said if she was supposed to cast a spell on us to compel us to go to York—how would Mariana get her revenge on us? If she wanted us to go to York like the rest of the vampires, she’s getting her way. I’m sure the others are there by now. But what is her end game? Oh, I do hope Anne is careful—I really don’t need to deal with something happening to her right now—not with all of my unresolved feelings for her. And I don’t want anything to happen to Sophie either. Anne does seem to love her very much, and she isn’t so bad after all. She can be kind, when she’s doesn’t have sex on the brain, which is almost never. I can’t really see what Anne sees in her other than the obvious, but perhaps they have more in common than seems apparent. They did spend a hundred years together, and Anne’s not an easy person to live with, so they must have found common ground._

Ann tore herself away from her musings on the state of Anne Lister’s relationship with Sophie Ferrall, and arrived at her cottage. She rushed inside and went directly to the bedroom where she found found Sibella, hovering over Sarah, trying to cool her forehead with a wet cloth.

“Ann, thank goodness you’re back. I don’t think she has much time at all left, I’m afraid. She hasn’t said a word in two hours,” Sibella said.

“Oh the poor dear!” Ann exclaimed. “Sibella, listen—we don’t have much time. One of the witches that was working with Mariana Belcombe gave us the spell that she used to hex the witches that were helping her compel the vampires to walk into the sun. Tib Norcliffe and her coven members created a counter spell and they are heading to York to try to reach the affected vampires.”

“That’s wonderful news, but how does it affect Sarah?”

“I have a copy of the counter spell, and I thought you might try it on Sarah—at this point, we’ve got nothing to lose,” Ann said.

“Ann, dear—even if the counter spell works, Sarah may have long lasting complications. The spell that Mariana cast on her was powerful, and meant to last, and she’s almost reached the end of her capacity to endure the pain,” Sibella explained sadly.

“I’m sure you’re right, but we have to try, don’t we? I know Sarah wouldn’t want to die, and she certainly wouldn’t want to be responsible for leading dozens of vampires to their death.”

Ann handed the spell to Sibella, who quickly read it. “I can make no promises, Ann, but I’ll try.”

“How long do you think the spell will take? I should get to York to help the others locate the vampires that have been hexed,” Ann said.

“I have no way of knowing how long this will take, but even with your ability to travel at a high speed, don’t you think you’d be cutting it too close to the sunrise?” Sibella asked. “And Ann, you’re so fond of Sarah—I can’t imagine you would be able to focus on anything else but her well-being.”

“You’re right, but I feel badly about leaving the others to do all the killing. And, I want to make sure Mariana Belcombe pays for this, and if possible, I’d like to be the one that makes her pay.”

“And if you end up incinerating yourself in the sun because of poor timing, I think that would be a waste of a beautiful spirit. Not to mention if Sarah recovers—she’ll be gutted if anything happened to you,” Sibella said.

“You’re right, of course. I mustn’t leave her,” Ann said. “There are enough people who want to see Mariana dead—I’m sure between all of them, someone will manage it.”

“Good. Now let me get to casting this spell. It will take some time and concentration, so please be patient and still while the magic works itself into Sarah.”

Ann took a seat in the corner of the bedroom and settled in for a long wait. She wasn’t certain what she was more frightened of—losing Sarah altogether, or having her alive but damaged.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Anne and Sophie had agreed that finding the Rawson brothers would be their best chance at either finding out who the affected vampires are, or finding Mariana. If they were holding Charles Lawton hostage, then Mariana would certainly turn up.

The Rawson brothers were easy to find. They were well-known around town as canny business men who kept strange hours, and they owned a fairly ostentatious estate right at the edge of the York boundary. Anne led the party through the front gate, and as she was about to knock on the door, she heard a scream coming from one of the out buildings. “Come on, everyone—I have a feeling where the Rawsons might be,” Anne said as she hurried the group to the back of the house, towards a large, stone structure. She stopped at the entrance of the doorway, and called in.

“We’re looking for the Rawson brothers,” she said.

“Aye, I’m Christopher Rawson. And this is my brother Jeremy,” he said, by way of introduction. “And who the hell might you all be?”

“I’m Anne Lister, and this is Sophie Ferrall. We have information about the plot the Sons of Jacob have launched to eliminate the vampires,” Anne said.

“Come in then, all of you. And who might your witchy friends be? Are they your guests or your prisoners?” he asked suspiciously.

“My I introduce Isabella Norcliffe, high priestess and two members of her coven, Genevieve and Desiree,” Anne said. “Before we go much further, are you still holding Charles Lawton as your prisoner?”

“Yes, of course. He’s a very dangerous man, and he’s the head of the Sons of Jacob and they’ve declared war on vampires. They’ve already killed several local York vampires. We have been holding Lawton hostage, hoping that they would want to cut a deal for his return,” Christopher said. “Unfortunately, he apparently isn’t worth it to them, because our attempts to contact them for ransom have gone unanswered. What information do you have to share that will help us eliminate these mongrels from the face of the earth?”

Anne quickly filled the Rawsons in on Mariana Belcombe’s scheme. She also told them that they’d brought a counter-spell with them, but needed to find the vampires who had recently arrived in York, as they would most likely be the victims of Jocelynne’s hex.

“But what is she doing all this for? Surely not for this useless specimen of a human,” Christopher sneered.

“It’s a bit complicated, and we only have a few hours until sunrise to find the vampires—can you help us?”

“Certainly,” Jeremy replied. “Six newcomers arrived yesterday, and we’re hosting them in our guesthouse. In fact, they’re probably there right now, as we all went out hunting earlier.”

“Can you take us to them?” Anne asked. “Then the witches can administer the counter-spell, and we can go in search of Mariana. If we kill her, the Sons of Jacob will have no witches to collaborate with, and we can render them powerless.”

“For now, at least. Until they find another power-hungry witch to assist them in their evil plot,” Christopher said angrily.

“She is truly a singularly vindictive and evil woman. It will take the Sons of Jacob a long time to find someone as helpful as Mariana has been to them,” Anne explained. And if we find where they are, we can eliminate the lot of them—it will be hard for them to reorganize if they are all dead.”

“All right—let’s move this party to the guesthouse,” Christopher said. “Jeremy, you go with our new friends and introduce them to the vampires, while I watch over Lawton. Mariana knows where we live, since it’s no secret—she’s probably got eyes on this place looking for an opportunity to free Charles.”

Jeremy led the group to the Rawson guest house where the latest vampires where assembled. Anne took the spokesperson role and explained the situation to them—that they were in grave danger, and there was a counter-spell that would save them from certain death.

“How do we know you’re telling the truth?” one of the newly-arrived vampires named George asked.

“Have any of you seen a tall, beautiful woman with auburn hair, and green eyes in the last couple of days?” Tib asked.

“Well yes—we were all at a small gathering at a local pub, and there was a serving girl that looked just like that. She was terrible at delivering drinks, but she had other, shall we say, attributes?” George replied.

“Did she share her ‘attributes’ with all of you?” Tib asked frankly.

“Yes, but what of it?” Georges asked.

“No judgment, but if she was in close proximity to you, she would have been able to compel you to walk into the sun against all of your better instincts,” Tib explained. “It’s the only magic that works on vampires, and a powerful witch has to invoke it. If you all were with Jocelyne within the last few days, she most certainly compelled you.”

The other vampires conferred with Georges and they seemed to be divided as to how they should proceed. When it seemed clear, they were at an impasse, Sophie spoke up.

“Gentlemen, we are facing an incredible threat to our species. We—all of us—have done everything in our power to mitigate the threat and to bring help to you—so you don’t have to suffer the same fate as the others. We don’t have time to waste here with you. If you do not want our help, that’s fine—we’ll leave. We still need to find Mariana Belcombe and eliminate her, or else all of this will continue and we will lose more and more of our kind. We cannot force you to take the cure, and we can also not waste any more. So we must have your answer now.

Two of the four vampires stepped forward. “We’ll take the cure please. If the other two don’t want it, that’s their choice.”

“Bonne! Please go with Genevieve and Desiree and they will cast the counter-spell that will save you from certain death,” Sophie instructed.

“Wait!” said Georges. “I want it to, and so does my mate, Phillipe—please give us the counter-spell as well.”

“Excellent! We’ll leave you with the witches who can remove the spell, while we go find Mariana,” Sophie said, indicating to Anne that they should leave.

“I’m coming with you,” Tib said.

“I won’t argue with you, Tib, but we have to go now,” Sophie said.

“I believe I might be able to shed some light on where Mariana is—the Lawton estate has been used as a headquarters of sorts for the Sons of Jacob. If she was planning a massive vampire killing tonight, then they’ll be gathered there,” Jeremy explained.

“We might need more vampires,” Sophie said. “If they are all gathered in one place, we can descend upon them and eliminate the whole gang of them, but we need more vampires. If there are just two of us, it would be more difficult, to say the least. Jeremy, could you round up as many vampires as you can to come with us—you can call it a hunting trip.”

“More like an all-you-can-eat buffet,” Anne quipped, earning herself a glare from Sophie.

“Your jokes are terrible, Anne.”

“I thought it was funny,” Jeremy said. “And yes of course—let’s go and we’ll pick up the gang on the way to Lawton Manor. Perhaps Christopher will want to bring Charles with us so he can watch his house of cards fall down. And what about these fellows? How long will it take for them to be un-hexed?”

“We don’t know,” Tib answered. “We’ve never performed the spell before, and we can’t take the chance that they’re somehow vulnerable from either the hex or the cure.”

Anne, Sophie, Jeremy and Tib left the other witches to deal with the hexed vampires, and went in search of reinforcements before descending upon the Sons of Jacob and their despicable leader, Mariana.


	31. Showdown at Lawton Manor

Ann insisted that Sibella to take a break and get some rest. She was amazed that she was able to manage Sarah on her own while she was gone, but that was Sibella. Strong, capable, wise, and a wicked card player. _And smart enough to stay out of my bed_ , Ann said chuckling. The hex that Mariana put on her years ago was very strong. It made witches utterly irresistible to Ann, and Sibella was no exception. 

But Sibella had recognized that Ann had been hexed, and wanted no part of taking advantage of her emotions. She befriended the vampire, and was often the one Ann went to when her heart had been broken. They played cards for hours and hours to distract her from her painful ruminations, and eventually, Ann would come out of her mood and be ready for her next affair. It really was a compulsion for her. _I wonder what I’ll be like if that bloody spell is ever broken,_ she wondered as she lay next to Sarah, stroking her beautiful hair, and thinking about how terribly she was going to feel when Sarah was gone. And it seemed certain that the cure had come too late for the poor witch—the counter-spell seemed to be having no effect on her whatsoever. _At least I can be with her in her last moments—she won’t have to die alone._

_+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++_

Jeremy Rawson had managed to summon more than 20 vampires to accompany Anne, Sophie and Tib to the Lawton estate where Mariana was likely hiding. Christopher came along as well, with a very ‘compelled’ Charles. “He might as well come watch the fun,” Christopher explained. “It isn’t every day that a man gets to see his wife and every single one of his friends feasted on by a make-shift coven of vampires. And then of course, he’ll be the dessert.”

“He’s very colorful, isn’t he?” Sophie remarked to Anne. “Certainly not my type, but I can see a certain charm about him.”

“Darling, please focus. In about 5 minutes, we are going to be in the middle of a giant blood bath, and I for one, want to make sure I’m on the winning side of this one.”

“We must take Mariana out first—that’s our best shot at eliminating the threat—permanently,” Tib said.

“Do we know for certain that she’s inside?” Sophie asked.

“Yes,” Jeremy replied. “She’s in there with about 40 Sons of Jacob members—they’re having some sort of meeting that she’s presiding over. She’s talking about rescuing Charles and frying a dozen vampires while they’re at it. They’re positively foaming at the mouth.”

The vampires had drawn straws to see who would have the pleasure of killing Mariana, and Sophie won. She had a murderous glint in her eyes and her fangs were already exposed.

“Are you disappointed, mon Coeur?”

“Actually, I’m not. You don’t have any history with her, so you aren’t emotionally involved. You are the best person for the job,” Anne said truthfully.

“Oh, I’m very, very emotionally involved. She is a murdering, evil monster, and that is something coming from me,” she said. “Everyone, remember the plan, I’m going to swoop in and snap her neck—we cannot take any chances and give her any time to respond. Once I’ve got her, everyone else will descend upon the crowd, and kill every human in the room, in whatever manner you choose—as long as it is quick.”

The vampires silently agreed, and within a few seconds, Sophie disappeared in a flash, and had come right up to Mariana when all of a sudden, the witch vanished.

“Merde!” Sophie screamed, and let out a war cry. Even though Mariana was still alive, the vampires wasted no time and descended upon the unsuspecting Sons of Jacob. It didn’t take more than five minutes to kill every human in the room—with the exception of Charles. They needed him as leverage to lure Mariana out.

“Let’s spread out and find her—she can’t have gone far,” Anne ordered the vampires. “Tib, can you use some sort of spell to find her?” Sophie asked.

“I’ve put a call out to my spirit guides. If she’s in this house, they’ll find her,” she said. All of a sudden, a huge crash was heard from the room below them. “And there she is!” Tib said triumphantly as Anne and Sophie launched themselves down the hall and down the stairs, faster than a human eye could detect. They found the shattered mirror on the floor of the study, and no sign of Mariana.

Anne put her finger up to her lips, telling Sophie to be silent. They knew she was in there somewhere, because the smell of fear was permeating the room. They followed the sound of Mariana’s breathing, and found her cowering underneath the desk. Anne grabbed her by the neck, and held her up so that her feet were dangling above the floor. Mariana made choking and gasping sounds, much to the delight of her captor.

“And there she is—the great Mariana Belcombe! Cheater of death, manipulator of fools, and friend to none,” Tib said, strolling into the room. Mariana continued to gurgle as Anne continued to apply pressure to her throat. “Anne, you can let her down. Her magic is bound, and I’ve put a hex on her that won’t allow her to move at all, so she’ll be rooted to the spot. She can’t escape.”

Anne released her hold on Mariana suddenly, and the witch crumpled to the floor, coughing and choking for several minutes.

“Just kill me now and put me out of my misery. I don’t want to hear Isabella prancing around and gloating,” Mariana said.

“Well, where’s the fun in that?” Anne asked. “I’d say we’d all like to do a bit of gloating. Oh, pardon me—I’m so rude. Mariana, may I present my mate, Sophie Ferrall. Sophie, this is the piece of shite that tried to wipe out our entire species, and hexed her own kind to do so.”

“Oh, I’m very glad to meet you, Madame Belcombe. Even if our acquaintance will be shockingly short. Because, you see, we drew straws to see who would have the pleasure of killing you—and I won.” Sophie’s fangs came out, and she stalked over to Mariana, and pulled her into an embrace, sinking her teeth into her neck and sucking every bit of the witch’s bitter blood out of her. When Mariana’s heart stopped, Sophie snapped her neck, causing Mariana’s head to droop at an unnatural angle. She dropped her body unceremoniously to the floor.

“That was delightful, although I’ve never, ever tasted a fouler batch of blood in my very long life,” Sophie said. “If I wasn’t immortal, and immune from virtually all spells, I’d be afraid she poisoned me.”

“She probably would have if she was smart enough to figure it out without killing herself. But she’s just simply not that clever. Never has been,” Tib said.

Jeremy and Christopher came into the study and found the women standing in a circle around Mariana’s dead and twisted body. “Well, then—good show! I’m sorry we missed it,” Christopher said cheerfully. “But no matter. It’s time for Mr. Lawton to join his wife in hell!” Without further delay, Christopher plunged his fangs into Charles’ neck and drained him of every drop of blood in his body. He dropped his lifeless form right on top of Mariana and stepped back.

“I feel like having a bit of a barbeque—does anyone want to join me?” Christopher said gleefully.

“Well, we do need to burn Mariana’s body, so that she doesn’t jump into someone else’s body and take them over. So we might as well set this whole place on fire,” Tib said, creating a ring of fire around the bodies. “Come on everyone. Let’s get out of this place, and get you all settled before sunrise. I’ll make sure this place burns to the ground and that it doesn’t burn half the country-side as well. We’ll wait for sunset to return home.”

“Splendid idea, Tib!” Sophie said. “If it wasn’t so close to sunrise, I’d suggest we celebrate. But there’s always time for that later.”

“Let’s go back to our house, and we’ll get you ladies settled. I trust you don’t mind sharing a bed?” Jeremy asked.

“Yes, that would be lovely,” Anne said, taking Sophie’s hand in hers. “Tib, we’ll see you at sunset at the Rawson’s so we can get you and the other witches home.”

“Splendid—have a good rest everyone. You’ve earned it.”


	32. Death and consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a few extra days to figure out. A long walk in nature, with our favorite vampires and witches spinning around in my head did the trick and cleared my thoughts so I could find their path forward. 
> 
> I do hope you're still enjoying the story. Please leave me a note if you feel so inclined. I'm a bit praise-motivated :)

Dawn was getting ready to break, as Jeremy Rawson escorted Sophie and Anne to their room. Anne could feel her eyes getting heavy, and she quickly went to help Sophie with her corset. “Merci, Anne. I’m not feeling very well. I think Mariana’s blood might have been poisoned after all,” Sophie said, removing the rest of her clothing and lying down on the bed in just her chemise.

“Darling, what can I do for you?” Anne asked concerned. _If anything happens to Sophie because of Mariana, I’ll never be able to live with myself. That woman has done her best to destroy all the love in my life, starting with Ann Walker._

“Let me have some of your blood, mon Coeur. I’ve yet to encounter the illness, hex or curse that vampire blood couldn’t cure,” Sophie said.

“Of course, my dear,” Anne said as she sat on the bed and offered herself to Sophie. Sophie lunged for her neck, plunged her fangs in, and drank as much as she thought she could without harming her lover. When she was finished, her fangs retracted, and she placed a sensuous kiss on Anne’s lips, allowing her to taste the blood she’d just taken.

“Thank you, mon amour. Now let’s lie down and get some rest.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” Anne said nervously. “I…I don’t know what I would ever do without you.”

Sophie smiled at her weakly. “You know exactly what you would do if I were no longer here, and so do I. You’d go right to Ann Walker. Which is why I have no intention of dying tonight. You won’t be rid of me that easy,” Sophie said.

“See that you don’t, my dear,” Anne said, kissing her once more before they both fell into a deep sleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Back at Ann Walker's house, the vampire was struggling with her emotions. It seemed the counter spell was powerless against the hex that Mariana had put on Sarah, and the witch was struggling to hang on to life. Tears streamed down Ann’s face as she felt her heart breaking. She crawled into bed next to Sarah and held her in her arms. “Please darling—please try to hang on. Give the spell more time to work. I can’t lose you—I simply can’t,” Ann said, stroking Sarah’s hair and clinging to her as though she would disappear at any moment.

Two hours before dawn, Ann felt the strangest sensation. She felt lighter somehow—as though a huge rock had been lifted from her chest. Her head, which was always muddled with too many thoughts and too little joy, seemed clearer. She hadn’t felt like this is so many years—not since…

 _Can it be? Did Sophie and Anne manage to kill Mariana? Did that break the hex she placed on me?_ Anne’s mind raced through the possibilities, and before too long, Sarah started to come around.

“Where am I?” Sarah said groggily. “Ann, what is going on and why am I in your bed? Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“Darling, it worked—Mariana is dead, and her hexes have gone straight to hell along with her,” Ann said excitedly. “You’re not going to die, and apparently, I’m no longer compelled to chase every witch in a skirt that passes within a mile of me.”

“What? I feel like I’ve missed something—like I’ve been in a fog for a long time,” Sarah said. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to tell me what happened. But first, I smell like a barn animal, and I could drink an entire trough of water. Would you mind getting me a pitcher of water and then perhaps you could help me wash? Then we can sit and you can tell me the whole magical story of what transpired while I was not conscious.”

“Certainly, my love,” Ann said excitedly, as she fetched a pitcher of water and handed Sarah a glass, then moved the wash basin to the small table next to the bed. She helped Sarah remove the shift she’d been sleeping in, and then proceeded to wash Sarah’s body gently, and with great care, still not quite able to believe she was actually alive. 

Just as she had finished dressing Sarah in a clean dressing gown, Sibella arrived.

“Well, don’t you look fresh as a daisy, Miss Sarah,” Sibella remarked, walking into the bedroom.

“The hex—it’s broken. Mariana must be dead. It happened to both of us at the same time,” Ann explained.

“Before you get too far along, Ann, I’d like to hear the whole story myself. Perhaps we could go into the parlor and you could scare us up some tea?” Sarah suggested.

Ann went off to make the tea, and Sibella helped Sarah out of bed, walked her into the parlor and arranged her comfortably in a chair. “Sibella, before Ann gets back, can you tell me something? Is it really possible that the hexes Mariana placed on both of us broke when Mariana died, or was it perhaps something else?” Sarah asked. “I’m no scholar of the magical arts, but it seems awfully convenient that a witch’s death would cause all of her spells to evaporate into thin air.”

“Well, I can’t speak to what Ann is feeling, and why she thinks the hex is gone, but you had the benefit of a counter spell that I cast on you that we hoped might remove Mariana’s hex. We thought you were too far gone for it to work, but perhaps not,” Sibella said. “Honestly, it’s very hard to say, but I’m just glad to have you back, my dear—however it happened.”

“Here we are,” Ann said, carrying a tray of tea along with biscuits, toast and jam. She poured tea for her guests, and began to fill Sarah in on what had transpired since she’d been overwhelmed by the dark magic of Mariana’ spell. “What’s the last thing that you remember, darling?”

“We were at Anne Lister’s home, and there was a very beautiful, and very frisky French vampire who was wildly entertaining. My memories get a little dim after that. I think I was in and out of consciousness. I remember you taking me out of there, but I don’t remember anything about the journey. Then nothing more until I woke up.”

“That was Sophie Ferrall, Anne’s mate. Yes, frisky is an excellent word for her. We owe her a great debt. She recognized my feelings for you and was very kind. There was talk of killing you to put you out of your misery, since it seemed clear that the hex had overcome you. But she intervened, and allowed me to take you away from Anne’s home to bring you home with me to take care of you.”

“You mean watch me, while the madness overtook me and either killed me or you were forced to end my life yourself,” Sarah said, taking Ann’s hand. “I never doubted your love for me Ann, but that’s quite a sacrifice. I’m grateful it didn’t come to that.”

“I’ll be forever grateful to Sophie, although truthfully, she and I did not get off on the right foot,” Ann explained. “She got a bit fresh with you when I was out of the room for a bit, and I didn’t take kindly to that. I think she just did it to make Anne jealous, and it certainly worked. Once I got you back here, Sibella administered a truth spell, and you were able to tell us Mariana’s evil plan and how she duped you and the other witches. I was able to quickly get back to Anne’s to let them know of Mariana’s plan, so they could be at the ready in York to take Mariana and the Sons of God down.”

“My, that’s a lot. But how are you here, and not with the other vampires?”

“I begged Tib Norcliffe for the counter-spell. She got it from one of the other witches working with Mariana who were captured. It was meant to de-hex vampires that had been compelled to walk into the sunlight, but I thought perhaps it might work on you,” Ann explained.

“Well, love, it seems that it might have, and for that, I am forever in your debt,” Sarah said, placing a kiss on the back of Ann’s hand. “And you said you thought your hex was broken as well? Are you certain of that?”

“Well—I don’t know for certain. I guess I’ll find out when I encounter another witch,” Ann said, looking serious for a moment. “It’s just—I felt so light—so free, all of a sudden. I just assumed Mariana had died. I had wondered about that for so long—if upon her death, I would be free of her evil spell. But in truth, I’m not certain she is dead. I suppose we’ll have to wait to get confirmation from Anne and Sophie, or perhaps Tib.”

“The world is a much safer place without Marina. I believe she is dead. The air feels different. The vibration of the earth has lost a bit of its chaotic hum," Sibella said. “And on that note, I think you and Ann have things well under control here, so I’ll be off.” She deposited a kiss on her friend’s cheek and left, promising to check back in the next day.

“How are you feeling, darling?” Ann asked.

“Like I’ve been run over by a stage coach,” Sarah said chuckling. “I know technically I’m not ill, but I think that spell took a lot out of me. Would you mind terribly if we just went to sleep? It’s nearly dawn, so you must be ready to rest as well.”

“That sounds lovely dear. Would you like to sleep on your own, or would you like company?”

“Are you serious Ann? Of course I want to lie with you. I love you,” Sarah said, confused.

“I love you too, but I didn’t want to assume anything, Sarah. As you say, you’ve been through a lot, and the last time we spent together you were under a spell, so you were not making your own choices,” Ann said.

“No matter what state I’m in, I will always choose you Ann. Can we please put our relationship issues to the side and sleep in each other’s arms tonight? I promise we can talk about things as much as you’d like another day,” Sarah said, rising from her chair and walking into the bedroom. Ann followed her, and quickly got into her night dress. There was something different about her feelings, and she couldn’t quite put her finger on what it was. She still loved Sarah—with all her heart. But the desperate, gnawing feeling she would get whenever she was around Sarah—or any other witch, if she was honest with herself—seemed to be gone. _Perhaps that’s what the spell was about. I can still love Sarah, but it’s more of a choice than a compulsion,_ Ann thought.

As she laid down, and held Sarah close to her, she breathed a great sigh of relief that her lover was alive, and it seemed that Mariana was dead. _I’ll have to find out for certain if that’s true. I won’t rest if she still roams the earth._


	33. The day after the world was saved

The next evening, Anne woke up first, and she started her day by nuzzling Sophie’s neck and depositing soft kisses along her shoulder.

“Mmmm…that feels lovely, darling,” Sophie purred, pushing her backside up against Anne’s center.

“There’s something about watching you kill Marianna that has aroused me beyond belief,” Anne said as she snaked her hand around, lifting Sophie’s chemise so she claim her treasure. She stroked and petted Sophie’s “chatte”, barely grazing her quickly moistening slit.

“Ohhhh…my….how could I have ever, ever let you go, ma chouette. “Vous êtes l'amant le plus incroyable que j'aie jamais eu, et cela en dit long. Je veux vos mains et votre bouche sur moi pour toute l'éternité, ma chérie Anne,”31 Sophie purred, pushing her hips up to make contact with Anne’s illusive, yet incredibly skilled hand.

”Yes, that was incredibly stupid of you, and you’re not a stupid woman,” Anne said, her blood lust becoming aroused. She found it very difficult to contain it when she got angry, which happened to be the emotion she was experiencing currently.

“Take it out on me, ma chouette. I deserve your anger and your wrath,” Sophie encouraged, offering her neck to her lover. She knew there would be a price to pay if she wanted to get Anne back, and that it would likely involve more than one tense conversation, or in this case, it was more of a tense “encounter”. _But she’s worth every bit of uncomfortable feelings. I deserve her wrath, and if she needs to take it out on my body, then so be it. The fact that I’ll enjoy it as much, or more than she will, is mere icing on the cake._

Anne wrapped her arm around Sophie and pulled her closer, her breath hot on her neck. “You are so right—you do deserve my wrath. But not here. We’re guests in someone’s home. There is a time and a place for everything, and this is neither the time, nor the place,” Anne said, retracting her fangs and releasing her hold on Sophie. “Come on—get up. We need to be on our way back home. I don’t want to impose on the Rawson brothers any longer than necessary. They’ve already been an extraordinary help to us. We can’t trespass on their hospitality.”

Sophie rolled towards Anne, sat up, and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so sorry Anne. I didn’t mean to arouse your…anger…and then leave you without an outlet. Please forgive me. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“Hmmm,” Anne said, covering Sophie’s arms with her own. You know I’m virtually incapable of being angry with you for any length of time. And you did kill Mariana, which is worth quite a bit, to quite a few people, including me.”

“I was glad to do it. If anyone witch needed killing, it was her. Morceau do merde! 32

“Well, I’m grateful. Now let’s get dressed, find Tib, and make our way out of here. I’d like to find out how Ann and Sarah are faring. I’m worried about them,” Anne said.

“So am I. I’m afraid the pretty little witch may no longer be among us. Ann will be devastated. She may need to crawl into your arms for comfort,” Sophie said smirking.

“Oh will you please stop that! We are finished, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I only have eyes for you. Ann is in my past, and I wish her only wonderful things. But too much water has passed under that bridge. And in any event, she’s really quite mean to me. Which I don’t quite understand since the whole ridiculous situation was her fault. And another thing…” Sophie walked over to where Anne was getting dressed and tapped her on the shoulder. When Anne turned to her, she captured her lips in a scorching hot kiss, leaving Anne panting and wondering what on earth she’d just been talking about.

“Yes, yes, all of that water under the bridge, indeed. Now, if you could please help me with my corset. Then we can go find Tib and get out of here. I think we can find better things to occupy our time with. This has been somewhat of an adventure, but I’d like to get back to us. We have some things to figure out.”

“Yes we do.”

They dressed quickly, and exited their room, and wandered around the large mansion until they found the Rawsons, along with Tib, Desiree and Genevieve sitting at the table, enjoying a light meal of cold meat, cheese, fresh bread and fruit, along with what smelled like an exquisite wine.

“Ladies! Join us in our little celebration,” Christopher said, inviting Anne and Sophie to take a seat. “I thought we’d eat a bit and then join in a rousing rendition of “Ding, dong, the witch is dead!” Christopher laughed out loud at his own joke, and Jeremy smiled and shook his head. The witches just look like they wanted to turn him into a toad, but they were grateful that he’d helped squash Marianna’s plot, and destroy her followers. The Sons of God would trouble them no longer.

Anne was just about to take a seat when she read the room and saw that the witches were dying to get out of this place. Christopher may have been very helpful to them, but he was an abominable bore. “Thank you so much Christopher, but I’m afraid we must be off. We have two friends we need to check on—they were hexed by Marianna and we have no idea if the hex was broken or not. We need to make sure they’re all right,” Anne explained.

“Thank you, to both of you, Christopher and Jeremy, for assisting us in saving the vampire species from certain extinction. We owe you a great debt, as does the rest of the vampire community.”

“We were just your back ups—you ladies had everything well in hand,” Jeremy said, complimenting everyone and lifting his glass in a toast to them.

“To the ladies!” Christopher said, joining his brother in a festive toast, after which everyone said their goodbyes and took their leave. The women stood outside the and discussed their next steps.

“I’d like to check on Ann Walker and Sarah. Sarah was so far gone, I’m afraid we are probably too late, but if we are, Ann shouldn’t be alone,” Anne explained.

“I’d like to go as well,” Tib said. “If there’s anything else of a magical nature that can be done, I’d like to try.”

Desiree and Genevieve asked if Sophie minded taking them home. They’d been away from their families for too long, and they had younger children to care for.

“Certainly,” Sophie said politely. “I just need a word with Anne.” Sophie walked a few steps away from the others, but far enough so that they would not be overheard.

“Anne, I want you to promise me something,” Sophie said, seriously. “I want you to promise me, that you will always follow your heart. I’m not naïve enough to think that I’m the only love you’ve ever had. And while I’ve learned my lesson about the grass being greener on the other side, and have come back to you begging for another chance, I don’t want to be the reason that you don’t take another chance with Ann Walker if it’s what you really want and need. I would rather you tried and failed, then to wonder what would have happened. Eternity is a very long time, my dear. And what I know is, my heart belongs completely and totally to you. Yesterday, today, tomorrow and for all the tomorrows to come. If you choose me, I will be happier than I deserve. But if you need to try again with Ann, know that I love you, and if your love for her should wane, I will always, always take you back. And forever is a very long time, and I am a very patient woman.”

Anne looked at Sophie incredulously. “This again? Sophie, I must insist that you stop this nonsense. I’m not in love with Ann Walker! She’s an angry, bitter infuriating woman, and the day that she left me all those years ago turned out to be the best day of my very long life. Darling, if she hadn’t left me, you and I would have never met, and loved for more than a century. You are my very best friend Sophie, and I cannot believe you’re trying to be noble when you know that you’re the one for me. You’re the one that loves me the most. You chose me, and you’ve made me so happy. I was devastated when we parted, but I never let you see it. And now that you’ve come back to me it’s like the world is right again, and there is joy in my heart. Joy which has been noticeably absent these 20 years without you.” Anne grabbed Sophie’s arms and pulled her close to her. “I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for a very, very long time. You’re my everything. For the first three years after you left, I couldn’t breathe. Everything hurt. I moped and cried and hunted like a madwoman, wanting to feel something—anything—but the pain of not having you by my side.” A tear made its way from Anne’s eye, and rolled down her cheek, finally falling on Sophie’s arm. “Don’t. Do not do this to me again. Quit throwing me away. You finally did the right thing. You came back to me. And that is all the amends I need.” Anne pulled Sophie into a passionate, almost frenzied kiss, which lasted much longer because they couldn’t let go of each other. The poured all of their love, and pain and loss into that kiss, and finally, when their hearts could almost not bear any more, gently pulled away from each other.

“I…I’m so fortunate…that you forgive me for being an imbecile. And that you still love me. You still choose me. I will spend each day of eternity showing you just exactly how treasured your heart is to me,” Sophie said. “Now go check on Ann and Sarah, and come back to me as quickly as you can. I’ll be waiting anxiously for your return, so that we can spend all night kissing just like that.”

Anne embraced Sophie one more time, and then departed with Tib to Ann Walker’s home, while the Sophie escorted the other witches to their homes. Sophie hoped with all her heart that Sarah would still be alive, and that Anne would come back to her and stay—forever.

**Translation footnotes**

**31 “**You are the most amazing lover I've ever had, and that's saying something. I want your hands and mouth on me for all of eternity, my darling Anne.”

32 “Piece of shit”


	34. Lovers and friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking this lovely journey with me. The writers block is broken--permanently, if I have anything to say about it--and i have Anne Lister to thank for it--and all of you, for taking the time to leave encouraging comments and kudos. This ends this tale, but The Vampire Diarist tales will continue...I'll have something up by the middle of January on the continuation of Anne Lister's tales.
> 
> Thank you all and I hope you have a lovely holiday, however you celebrate--or don't :)

Anne and Tib made the trip from York to Ann’s cottage fairly quickly, and when they arrived, and walked up to the door and knocked. They waited a moment and heard nothing, so Anne pounded on the door. “Ann! It’s me—and Tib Norcliffe. We’ve come to give you news of what happened in York.”

A few moments later, Ann arrived at the door, hair looking a bit disheveled, and clutching a silk dressing gown around her. “Anne! Tib! Do come in and please pardon my state of undress. Please take a seat in the sitting room, and I’ll just be 5 minutes,” Ann said blushing as she caught Anne staring openly at the outline of her breasts against the expensive fabric.

“Oh Ann, darling—we’re all women here—we don’t care what you’re wearing or not wearing,” Tib said matter-of-factly. “Sit down with us and tell us everything—is Sarah…”

“Sarah is fine,” said a voice coming from Ann’s bedroom. “And as soon as I put some decent clothing on, I’ll be right out. I’d love to hear all about the big skirmish in York.”

“Is that…Sarah?” Tib said incredulously. “She’s alive? My word, I never imagined a hex that powerful could be broken by anyone. Who is the gifted sorcerous who managed that neat trick?”

Just then, there was another knock on the door, and Ann went to answer it, knowing it could only be one person. “I believe our gifted sorceress has come to check on us. Come in Sibella and join the party,” Ann said. “Sibella MacLean, please meet Anne Lister and Isabella Norcliffe.

Sibella shook Anne’s hand and said, “I’ve heard so much about you, Anne Lister—I’m so very glad to meet you in person.”

“Er…yes…quite,” Anne said fumbling for words. What on earth had Ann said to Sibella about her?”

“And Isabella—it’s a true pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Sibella said, extending her hand. Tib took it and pressed her lips to the back of it, and bowed deeply, earning herself a pretty blush from Sibella. “You are the most exquisitely beautiful woman I have seen in a very long time, Ms. MacLean. And please, call me Tib. All of my close friends do.”

“Sibella, why don’t you make our guests comfortable in the sitting room, while I get dressed. We…weren’t expecting company,” Ann said, practically running off to her bedroom. When she got there, Sarah caught her in her arms, and pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss. “Darling, no…we can’t…we have guests,” Ann stammered.

“But we weren’t finished…we weren’t even close to being finished,” Sarah said, a hungry look in her eyes.

“Later darling—I promise you. These ladies have come a long way to check on us and bring us news. We can’t be rude,” Ann admonished. “Now help me get dressed, and for god’s sake, stop touching yourself! You know what that does to me!” Ann whispered loudly, making Sarah giggle.

“All right, we’ll have it your way. But as soon as they’re gone, you and I are going to finish what we started.”

“Absolutely.”

From where Anne was sitting, she could hear every word being exchanged between Sarah and Ann and it was making her wildly uncomfortable, and she wasn’t sure why. She was glad Sarah was alive. She saw clearly how much Ann loved the witch, and she didn’t want Ann to suffer the loss of her love through death. But…what if Sarah had died? _Stop it—stop it right now Anne Lister. This is foolish and self-indulgent. You have your mate waiting patiently at home for you. At long last, your great love has come back to you and it’s all you’ve wanted these past 20 years. This business with Ann Walker is nothing but sentimentality—unfinished business as it were. She is nothing like she was when I knew her all those many years ago. She’s let the years—and likely the hex—make her bitter. It was bad all around for her, and it’s changed her. And never mind that—you have Sophie! Beautiful, intelligent, witty, charming, sexy Sophie, and she chose you! You mustn’t ruin this, Anne. Pull yourself together!_

Anne turned her attention to the two witches, tete-a-tete, sitting rather close to each other on the sofa. “I’m so impressed with your spell work Sibella—I was shocked to hear Sarah’s voice coming from the other room—I thought for certain she was dead. With whom did you study?” Tib asked.

“I was born into a family of witches, and my grandmother taught me herbs and spell craft from a very young age. I had a talent for it, and I just never saw a need to join a coven,” Sibella said. “But had I met you at a different time, I probably would have begged you to be my teacher.” Sibella blushed at her admission, and covered by offering to put the kettle on for tea.

“Getting on all right with Miss MacLean, eh Tib?” Anne teased, as soon as Sibella was out of earshot.

“She’s stunning, and brilliant, and I don’t know why I haven’t met her before now.”

“Because you weren’t ready to meet her until now,” Anne said knowingly. “She certainly seems interested in you, Tib.”

“Do you think—really?” Tib asked shyly.

Sibella came back into the room and sat very close to Tib—so close that their thighs were touching. “Oh dear—you have a little something on your face,” Sibella said, and gently stroked Tib’s cheek, pretending to brush something off of it. Tib captured Sibella’s hand and brought it to her lips for a kiss. “Sibella MacLean, I think you’ve managed to bewitch me, and I couldn’t be happier. Perhaps when we finish filling Ann and Sarah in on our adventure, you and I could go for a stroll, or perhaps you could show me your herb garden.”

“I’d…I’d love that. I’m feeling a little bewitched myself,” Sibella admitted truthfully. “It’s been a long, long time since anyone has…well, in any event, I’ll enjoy any time I get to spend with you.”

Ann and Sarah came into the sitting room, holding hands and promptly sat down on the other sofa. “All right, we’re decent—let’s hear all of it!” Ann said excitedly. Anne provided all the details of the death of Mariana, the annihilation of the Sons of God and the hospitality of the Rawson brothers.

“Well, that’s quite the tale!” Ann said. “I think I know when Mariana died—I felt the strangest sensation come over me—it was when things looked very dire for Sarah, and I’d all but given up hope. And then all of a sudden—I felt lighter—much lighter. Like the weight of the world had been taken off my shoulders. And then a few minutes later, Sarah woke up and sounded like her old self, albeit a bit disoriented. The only think I could think of was that Mariana’s death broke the curse she placed on me. Is that possible, Tib? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“Yes, it is possible. Mariana probably thought she was never going to die, so she didn’t bother to put a fail safe on the spell. The good news is, you’re free and you can choose your mate without being compelled to chase witches around.”

“Just this witch, right love?” Sarah said, looking adoringly at Ann.

“Yes, my love,” Ann said, pressing her lips to Sarah’s mouth to confirm her feelings.

“Well, since all of this is settled and everyone is happy, I’m going to take my leave. Tib, are you staying?”

“Yes, I’m going to stay with Sibella for a while. Let my coven members know, will you?”

“Of course. And I’m off to be with my own true love, who’s waiting for me. Good bye everyone and please—let’s keep in touch.” And without more than a wave, Anne was up and out the door—almost.

“Anne—could you wait just a moment? I’d like a word,” Ann asked.

“Certainly—come walk outside with me,” she said. When they got outside, Ann faced Anne and said, “I cannot thank you enough for everything you’ve done—to protect me, to protect Sarah, and really, to protect all the vampires and the witches everywhere. You’re a hero, even if only a few of us know it.”

“Oh, well—it was all Sophie’s idea—the saving the vampire race bit. I was just along for the ride. She sends her regards, by the way,” Anne said, trying to be modest and changing the subject.

“But you were kind to me, and good to my girlfriend Sarah—and I forgive you for sleeping with her. Neither of you knew of our prior connection—although truthfully, it wouldn’t have stopped Sarah much. She’s a bit of a handful, that one,” Ann said chuckling. “I mean, I know I haven’t been nice to you--in fact, I’ve been rude, boorish and downright nasty at times—particularly about your relationship with Sophie. I understand now what you see in her. And you’re very right. I blew my chance when I didn’t give you enough time to make your choice—so I took myself and my love away from you.”

“And,” Anne said, “if you hadn’t done that, I would have never met Sophie. She really makes me quite happy. More than I have been in my long life,” Anne explained.

“I do wonder what might have been if I’d waited for you instead of leaving you. Mariana would have never hexed me, I’d have given you the blood drinker’s gift and it would have been you and I who spent our lives together,” Ann said, almost wistfully.

“That ship has sailed Ann. My heart has moved on from you and your love, and I’ve found another—just as you have. And I’m glad Sarah makes you happy—truly,” Anne said sincerely. “And before we get anymore sentimental, I’m off! Good luck Ann, and do keep in touch,” she said, leaning down to kiss Ann’s cheek, but she moved suddenly, and instead, she kissed her very soft, tender and beautiful lips. It was a moment—just a moment. Then in true Anne Lister fashion, she saluted and went on her way, while Ann watched her disappear into the night, still touching the lips that Anne had just kissed.

When Anne arrived home, she rushed inside, anxious to find Sophie. Instead, she found a distraught footman, terrified and not making sense.

“What is it? What’s happened to Madamoiselle Sophie?” Anne asked, her voice betraying her fear.

“They came—there were a dozen witches that came to avenge Marianna Belcombe. They compelled Madamoiselle Sophie and took her with them. They said they were going to make her pay for what she’d done to their priestess by taking her away from the one she loved—forever!”

“No!!!!” Anne screamed, loud enough to raise the dead. _This can’t be! I love her—I can’t live without her!_

“When did they leave and which direction did they go?”

“20 minutes ago, Miss Lister, and they headed west. They travelled by horseback and one carriage which they put Madamoiselle Sophie in.”

Anne sped off in the direction that the witches had left. _I will lay waste to their miserable lives, she vowed. If it takes me all of eternity, they will pay, and I will have my love back I my arms again_.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this story for a long time. I really hope you enjoy it. I'd love to hear your comments and encouragement. I love Anne Lister and her character is so rich. I think she'd make an excellent immortal--she kind of is already, isn't she? Any errors are mine alone--I have no beta, but I do try to be careful :)
> 
> Part One is focused on the Making of Anne Lister


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